Some laboratory mice were given specially engineered insuling-producing genes. These genes were then remotely activated using radio waves. This could mean a whole new field of medical procedures in which we turn genes on and off at will.

This breakthrough is the work of geneticists at New York's Rockefeller University. It's a pretty circuitous path from the initial burst of radio waves to the activation of the gene, and there's still a lot of refinement and improvement that needs to be made before this can be used in medical treatments, but still - we're talking about the ability to modify the behavior of genes without ever going inside a patient's body. That's a potentially colossal advance.

Admittedly, while the treatment itself is totally non-invasive, the researchers did first have to inject some nanoparticles onto the mice's cells in order to affect their genes. It's a bit of a complex process, but Nature has a good explanation of just what was involved:

Friedman and his colleagues coated iron oxide nanoparticles with antibodies that bind to a modified version of the temperature-sensitive ion channel TRPV1, which sits on the surface of cells. They injected these particles into tumours grown under the skins of mice, then used the magnetic field generated by a device similar to a miniature magnetic-resonance-imaging machine to heat the nanoparticles with low-frequency radio waves. In turn, the nanoparticles heated the ion channel to its activation temperature of 42 °C. Opening the channel allowed calcium to flow into cells, triggering secondary signals that switched on an engineered calcium-sensitive gene that produces insulin. After 30 minutes of radio-wave exposure, the mice's insulin levels had increased and their blood sugar levels had dropped.

The radio waves are ideal for this sort of remote manipulation because they can pass through thick layers of tissue, and they can be easily focused by the TRPV1 channel to affect only the desired target. Lead researcher Jeffrey Friedman says that, although this particular treatment had to do with insulin production, this isn't actually meant specifically as a diabetes treatment. That's a good thing, considering this treatment is massively more inefficient than many diabetes treatments currently available. Instead, this is just meant as a general proof of concept, and insulin production happens to be one of the easier gene activities to manipulate.

Even better, the researchers have already developed a way to achieve similar, albeit weaker, results without having to inject nanoparticles at all. They have developed cells that can grow their own required nanoparticles, meaning there would be no need to give patients strange chemicals or molecules. However, as Nature explains, this would still require growing tumors inside humans to actually get these cell cultures in place, which means the treatment isn't yet ethically permissible in humans. It's definitely early days yet, but this is one seriously intriguing line of research.

Via Nature. Image by mathagraphics, via Shutterstock.

James Cameron reveals his filmmaking future is all Avatar, all the time. The president of 20th Century Fox tells you everything you need to know about The Wolverine. Director Jon Chu promises that G.I. Joe: Retaliation fixes its predecessor's problems.

All that, plus the latest on Fringe, Game of Thrones, True Blood, Supernatural, Syfy's Rewind, and more! Spoilers ahead...

Top image from Game of Thrones.

The Amazing Spider-Man

G.I. Joe: Retaliation

Here's a new international TV spot.

Director Jon Chu offers a personal story and explanation for why this movie should improve on the original:

Yeah, I mean something that Lorenzo [Di Bonaventura] and I talked about very early was we wanted you to feel the power of the punch, something I was missing in the last movie, I wanted to know that these guys were really fighting. I wanted to see the scratches and patterns on patterns. Growing up, when I would play with them in my backyard, I would have these week long epic adventures and I'm convinced that's where I learned how to tell stories and make movies, because of my toys and in those cases when a guy's arm fell off, that was even better, because it made the story more interesting and you would lose a guy for a day and then you'd find him again and they'd appear again. So all of those things, to me, is what we tried to build into the movie, that you actually felt the world and the action; each action piece was different from the next with different textures, different fighting style, different shooting style, and so it never felt like a repeat of an action scene and that you actually revealed stuff about each character. So the way someone retreats or the way someone steps up to plate at that moment all reveals stuff about characters and even in my past movies it wasn't about… I was never a dancer before doing dance movies, it was always about storytelling and that movement, to me, tells more story than words could ever tell and in an action movie you have more opportunities to do that.

There's more at the link. [/Film]

Fringe

Here's a promo for the fourth season finale, "Brave New World: Part 2." [First Showing]

Executive producer Joel Wyman says there's a standing invitation for Leonard Nimoy to return for season five, although they aren't counting on the retired actor definitely making yet another comeback. He also says there's still more to understand about the full extent of just what's going on with David Robert Jones. [TV Line]

Game of Thrones

Here's a promo for next Sunday's episode, "A Man Without Honor."

Here's the description for the second season finale, "Valar Morghulis":

"Valar Morghulis": Tyrion awakens to a changed situation. King Joffrey doles out rewards to his subjects. As Theon stirs his men to action, Luwin offers some final advice. Brienne silences Jaime; Arya receives a gift from Jaqen; Dany goes to a strange place; Jon proves himself to Qhorin.

[SpoilerTV]

True Blood

Once Upon a Time

Star Jennifer Morrison discusses the upcoming season finale and how Emma fits into it:

"It's so massive and so game-changing. I mean that in the best way. I read the season finale and went, 'Oh my God! What is going to happen?! There's definitely a drastic difference between the beginning of the season and where it ends. People can count on there being a serious amount of growth for Emma. What we're seeing now is whether or not Emma is really going to accept her role as the savior. It's do-or-die at this point. The stakes are so high as we go through these last few episodes."

[TV Guide]

Grimm

Here's a promo for this week's episode, "Big Feet."

Supernatural

The Secret Circle

Here's the promo and sneak peek for this week's season finale, "Family." [multipleverses.com]

And here are some promo photos. [KSiteTV]

CW Pilots

The Green Arrow pilot Arrow and The CW's version of Beauty and the Beast starring Smallville's Kristin Kreuk are reportedly considered sure things to get series orders, while the vaguely Hunger Games-like show The Selection is considered borderline and would need to take the place of one of the CW's bubble shows, like Ringer, Nikita, or maybe The Secret Circle. [SpoilerTV]

Additional reporting by MaryKate Jasper and Charlie Jane Anders.

One major star confirms their Iron Man 3 casting, while another bows out. Leonard Nimoy plays coy about the Star Trek sequel. American Horror Story adds a seriously awesome actor, and a bunch of British acting heavyweights join Angelina Jolie's Maleficent!

Spoilers from here on out!

Top image from Prometheus.

The Avengers 2

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige lays out the groundwork all the upcoming sequels will do to set up the pretty much financially guaranteed Avengers sequel:

If we do an Avengers 2 it will be after [Iron Man 3, Thor 2, Captain America 2]. They have to grow, they have to change. What they've gone through in this movie will impact their state of mind and where they stand in their next movies. Then whatever they go through in those movies is going to affect where we meet them in the next Avengers film. But I think people will be surprised to see, as we go forward — particularly in Iron Man 3 — the notion of how singular the stories can become. Iron Man 3 is a very singular Tony Stark story. As is Thor 2. Cap, who is stuck in the modern day with no friends or family, there will be some revelations of who is still alive from his days in WWII, but SHIELD and Nick Fury are kind of his confidants right now. So of all these movies, Captain America 2 will be most closely associated with Avengers.

[C.H.U.D.]

There's also the matter of Thanos, who was introduced in the Avengers post-credits scene. The current rumor seems to be that he could be crucial to the planned Guardians of the Galaxy movie, but you've got to assume he would show up in the Avengers sequel. Kevin Feige credits Joss Whedon for coming up with the idea of including Thanos, and Whedon explains what appeals to him about the character:

He for me is the most powerful and fascinating Marvel villain. He's the great grand daddy of the badasses and he's in love with death and I just think that's so cute. For me, the greatest Avengers was THE AVENGERS annual that Jim Starlin did followed by THE THING 2 in 1 that contained the death of Adam Warlock. Those were some of the most important texts and I think underrated milestones in Marvel history and Thanos is all over that, so somebody had to be in control and had to be behind Loki's work and I was like "It's got to be Thanos." And they said "Okay" and I'm like "Oh my God!"

There's much more on the decision at the link. [/Film]

Also, this is a long, long way off, but there's a rumor that the movie's huge response in India will lead to some of the sequel being filmed in the world's second most populous country. Specifically, the rumor is that three locations would be used - Hardwar and Uttar Pradesh in North India and another location in Maharashtra. [Comic Book Movie]

Iron Man 3

Gandhi actor Ben Kingsley confirms that it is now "official" that he will be in the third Iron Man movie, and that he will turn his attentions to his undisclosed role once he's done filming Ender's Game. [Huffington Post]

In other casting news, the omnipresent Jessica Chastain — whose credits include Tree of Life, The Help, Take Shelter, and about thirty other movies made last year — has just become slightly less omnipresent, as it turns out she won't be playing a "sexy scientist" in the third Iron Man movie. She posted to her Facebook the following explanation:

Sorry to say that ‘Iron Man' 3 isn't going to work out. My schedule is jammed packed and I can't fit anything else in. The press announced my possible attachment far too soon. I know many of you wanted me to be involved, and I'm so sorry to disappoint you. Hopefully there'll be another Marvel film in my future. Shane Black and everyone on the IM3 team are really wonderful. I'm very excited to see the film when it comes out. xx

[/Film]

The Amazing Spider-Man

Person of the Interest

Here's the official description for the May 17 season finale, "Firewall", which guest stars genre favorite Amy Acker:

PSYCHOLOGIST BECOMES THE TARGET OF ONE OF HER PATIENTS, AND THE FBI CLOSES IN ON REESE ON THE FIRST SEASON FINALE OF "PERSON OF INTEREST," THURSDAY, MAY 17

Amy Acker ("Angel," "Cabin in the Woods") Guest Stars As the Psychologist and POI
"Firewall" – When a psychologist's number comes up, Reese must protect her from one of her patients while eluding capture by the FBI, who are closing in fast. Meanwhile, Finch receives an unwelcome visit from an old acquaintance, on the first season finale of PERSON OF INTEREST, Thursday, May 17 (9:00 – 10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Amy Acker ("Angel," "Cabin in the Woods") guest stars as the POI.

[KSiteTV]

Once Upon a Time

Here's a promo for the season finale, "A Land Without Magic", which airs on Mother's Day (which is this Sunday, in case you needed a friendly reminder.)

Supernatural

Here's a sneak peek for this Friday's episode, "There Will Be Blood."

American Horror Story

The great James Cromwell, whose credits include everything from Star Trek: First Contact to Babe to L.A. Confidential (and that's just 1995 to 1997), has been cast as Dr. Arden, part of the staff at this season's all new setting, a mental institution for the criminally insane. While commenting on the news, series creator Ryan Murphy revealed that there definitely won't be any links back to the first season, as "the second season is set in a completely different time period." Presumably, that means sometime in the past, although I don't think we can even remotely rule out this being a mental institution in the 22nd century or whatever else. [The Live Feed]

Continuum

Here's a promo and two sneak peeks for the Canadian time travel series starring Star Trek supporting player Rachel Nichols.

Teen Wolf

Here's a trailer for season two. MTV says five million views will unlock a preview of the first ten minutes of the new season - as of this writing, they're only 4,928,564 away!

Additional reporting by Ben Vrignon and Charlie Jane Anders.

Last night's Eureka found the Astraeus crew struggling to readjust, after finally escaping the evil computer simulation. While our heroes tried to reconcile fiction with reality, our suspension of disbelief in turn was under threat, thanks to a pair of questionable special effects.

Spoilers ahead...

"Friendly Fire" picks up shortly after the Astraeus crew gets freed from Beverly Barlowe and the Consortium's virtual reality version of Eureka. For Allison, Grace, Zane, and Carter, that means trying to forget the unpleasant versions of Jo and Henry they encountered there, all while trying their damnedest to avoid telling Henry and Jo what they saw. Meanwhile, Fargo is devastated by the death of Holly, and so he tries out an experimental patch to speed his way through the stages of grief in record time...with predictable results.

Amidst this relationship drama, some of Dr. Parrish's experimental fire stoppers — and starters! — known as Fireflies escape from the laboratory, and anything with a power source is now in danger of turning into a blazing inferno. While one is recaptured easily enough, the other keeps going haywire whenever it's around certain townspeople - something that Henry ultimately traces to a mysterious side effect of spending time in the computer simulation.

The main problem with "Friendly Fire" is its special effects, which are decidedly unconvincing. I'm a bit surprised, really, because Eureka is generally pretty good at wringing the most out of its basic cable special effects budget, often making a little go a very long way. Honestly, I'm struggling to remember the last time I had this reaction to a special effect on the show, and that's partially why it's so problematic for me. To its credit, the show has gotten very good at ripping holes in the universe, and it even pulled off that virtual dragon to my satisfactio, but that deft touch unfortunately doesn't extend to the Fireflies.

A big part of the problem, I think, is the Fireflies — not to mention the apparently CGI fire — have to interact a lot with the cast, and the episode's direction isn't really able to hide which are the normal, more cinematic shots and which shots are clearly designed around the CGI. I don't really think the Fireflies as written can work on Eureka's budget — I'm not sure how you could have done this episode while trying to somehow shoot around the Fireflies.

I should be careful here, as it's not the special effects in and of themselves that I have a problem with. After all, I've written extensively about my love for classic Doctor Who, and that show had the dodgiest special effects in television history (well, assuming you've never heard of Blake's 7). I'm willing to forgive unconvincing special effects if it's in service of good, ambitious storytelling, and if it's clear the show's budget wouldn't allow for anything better. But since Eureka routinely pulls off special effects much better than this, it's harder for me to get past.

Also, honestly, "Friendly Fire" doesn't do all that well on the other half of that equation, as the episode never really coheres into a properly compelling story. The Fireflies plot is pretty much your bog standard Eureka runaround, lacking any of the little flairs that might make it stand out — even Carter's one-liners seem relatively muted this time around, his hatred of the word "theoretically" notwithstanding. Coming off the virtual reality arc's mild experimentation with the format, this installment feels all a bit too ordinary. The show is essentially taking a breath and resetting after the craziness of the last few episodes, and I honestly wish they had just barreled ahead with wherever the show is headed next.

To be fair, the episode also spends a decent amount of time sorting through the emotional fallout of the Astraeus crew's time in the simulated Eureka. Returning to real life after being stuck in a mildly hellish virtual reality isn't a particularly relateable situation, and the writers can be forgiven for fumbling a bit as Grace and Allison try to articulate just exactly what is so difficult about readjusting to real life.

Most of this b-story revolves around how various people feel about Jo — Allison can't quite forget how the virtual Jo took over her family roles, while Zane and Carter are really not mature enough to sort out whether Jack actually has feelings for Jo or not. Based on everything we've seen between Jo and Carter for four seasons, the answer to that last question seems like it really has to be a resounding "no", whatever Beverly Barlowe's algorithms might have predicted. As such, I'm not totally sure where that whole subplot was going, particularly since the end of the episode seems to defuse any chance of an actual love quadrilateral kicking in (not that I'm complaining). At least Allison's internal conflict about Jo is resolved in a way that ties back in with the Fireflies plot - saving a person's daughter from a blazing house fire does seem like a good way to win back their sympathies.

Honestly, the story I was most interested in here was Grace's, which probably got the least attention of the bunch. Her situation — in which the virtual Henry tried to kill her, and the she had to more or less kill him — is wonderfully insane, and there's some nice ambiguity about just why she can't stand to be around Henry. Is it that she feels guilty for killing him, as she says, or is some irrational part of her that can't separate the Henry in front of her from the AI monster that tried to kill her?

There's a nice, quick little moment where Henry asks Grace what she's so busy with, and it echoes the scenes from previous episodes in which virtual Henry tried to distract her from prying into the Astraeus data. While a lot of the other characters' stories felt like perfunctory soap opera — at the end of the day, these characters are too mature and their relationships too solid for a computer simulation to tear them apart — Grace and Henry's story presented some legitimately intriguing questions about just how Grace could hope to move on from such a traumatic experience, especially when Henry is there as a constant reminder of what happened in the simulation.

Finally, there's Fargo. The opening and closing scenes in which he grieves for Holly are very nice moments, particularly the final scene he shares with Wil Wheaton's Dr. Parrish. It's a nice moment of detente for the two characters, particularly since Parrish never quite stops being a raging asshole, and yet he's also there to offer Fargo some much needed help through is grief, complete with a bit of role-playing (and no, I don't see how that could possibly be misinterpreted). The rest of the episode with the grief acceleration patch gives Fargo some of his silliest comic relief in a good long while. Though a lot of it is funny, I'll admit I would have preferred to see his grief take a bit more seriously throughout. Still, it's Fargo we're talking about here. Maybe I shouldn't quibble on this one.

I wouldn't call this episode a wasted hour — especially since this was produced long before the cancellation order came in — but I would have liked to have seen something more ambitious, either by kicking off another arc or going all in with the scifi craziness — for those who saw the "Next Time" promo, next Monday's episode looks like exactly the sort of thing I'm talking about. The Fireflies stuff isn't bad, but it is forgettable. For those who enjoy Eureka more as just comfort food television, that isn't so terrible, but the last few episodes have gotten me used to expecting a bit more. Here's hoping for a return to form next week after this minor misstep.

Find out how Avengers 2 will come out of a whole new raft of solo superhero movies. Chloe Moretz talks Dark Shadows and the Carrie remake. James Cameron still hasn't abandoned Battle Angel Alita. New videos for Brave, Men in Black 3. Plus intriguing spoilers for the Once Upon a Time finale!

Spoilers from here on out!

Top image from The Amazing Spider-Man.

The Avengers

In what has to be the single least surprising announcement ever, Disney CEO Bob Iger says he wants to move ahead with a sequel to that movie that made $200 million last weekend:

"The Avengers isn't just a film. It's a franchise from our perspective. Obviously, it was helped a lot by the success of the 'Iron Man' movies and of 'Thor' and 'Captain America'. From 'The Avengers' we get a chance to make 'Thor 2' and 'Captain America 2' and 'Iron Man 3' and hopefully another 'Avengers' movie. So this one film that is immensely successful... is going to get a number of other films and franchises...We have an ability to leverage what was a very fun film done by a great group of filmmakers into something much bigger for the company," he continues, "and the effect will be prolonged and that's very, very exciting for us."

[CNBC via Coming Soon]

The Amazing Spider-Man

Here's a hilarious new video for Pixar's Scottish fantasy movie, in the form of a fake fashion commercial. [iTunes Movie Trailers]

Men in Black 3

Here's the latest TV spot. [Coming Soon]

G.I. Joe: Retaliation

Here's the latest poster. [/Film]

Resident Evil: Retribution

Here's a poster for the fifth Resident Evil movie. [Coming Soon]

Fringe

Here's an interview with John Noble and Leonard Nimoy in which they discuss the ever evolving relationship between Walter Bishop and William Bell. [TV Line]

Here's another trailer for this Friday's finale, "Brave New World: Part 2." [TV Guide]

True Blood

Here's a first look at Law & Order: SVU star Christopher Meloni, who is joining the show this season. [E! Online]

New cast addition Scott Foley, who plays an army veteran named Patrick who reunites with his old friend Terry, discusses their storyline in season five:

"Most of the time we are out in the greater 50 states tracking down other members of our platoon trying to get some closure to this event that happened over in Iraq. [There's] a lot of running and fighting and jumping. There's a lot of physicality."

[TV Line]

Once Upon a Time

Showrunners Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis discuss the finale, including how Emma and Regina team up to save Henry:

Kitsis: Well, what we can say about it is they're still enemies and at odds, but they now have found a common purpose throwing them together in the finale, and it's an uneasy alliance. The antagonism between the two of them that started in the pilot continues to grow and boil in the finale.

Does Henry's situation affect anyone else besides Emma and Regina?
Horowitz: I think what's interesting is that it affects everyone, in a way. In this season, Henry — by bringing Emma into town — touched everyone's lives in a real and meaningful way, in that he is a true believer and believes he can help these people. Him being in jeopardy definitely has an effect on everyone.

They also discuss whether Emma will finally accept the seemingly impossible truth that all these fairy tales are real:

Horowitz: I would seriously say that question gets asked and explored.
Kitsis: We've been building it in the last two episodes particularly, exploring the nature of Emma's relationship to the town and what's going on with it, and that intensifies to a degree.
Horowitz: Obviously if [someone] came to you and said, "Hey, you're the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, you need to save everyone from this curse," you'd think they were crazy. For us, we really wanted to earn [Emma's] belief and earn her arc based on who she is as a character and the way she grew up. We understand that there's a frustration, but there's also a reality and we think that the finale will really explore that.
Kitsis: It's not easy for Emma, just like it wouldn't be easy for any person from our world to deal with this kind of idea. One of the things we're excited about with the finale is really ratcheting up the intensity on her.

There's still more at the link. [EW]

Elsewhere, Kitsis discusses Jamie Dornan's return appearance in the finale:

"I can say that it is one my favorite reveals of the entire year, and to spoil it would be so heartbreaking. We moved heaven and earth to get that man from London. Or, we put him on a plane."

The fact that his return is such a huge reveal might well suggest he will be back not just as the Huntsman, but also as the seemingly dead Sheriff Graham. [TV Line]

Grimm

Here's a pair of sneak peeks for this week's episode, "Big Feet." You can also check out another sneak peek at the link. [TV Line]

Being Human (US)

Here are some early details for season three:

Being Human is time jumping a year into the future. Nora is definitely in the mix. She'll be helping Josh locate Sally. But will come across some trouble of her own when she clashes with the wolf twins' father.

[E! Online]

The Secret Circle

The show reportedly is not on any of the CW's schedules for the 2012-2013 TV season, and it's generally considered as good as cancelled. Meanwhile, the network's genre pilots Arrow, Beauty and the Beast, and The Selection are all reportedly likely to get season orders. [SpoilerTV]

And on that cheery note, here's a sneak peek at what is increasingly looking like the series finale, "Family", which airs tomorrow night. [TV Guide]

Here's an introduction to the episode from executive producer Andrew Miller. [KSiteTV]

Additional reporting by Jennifer Griffith-Delgado.

Iron Man 3 is close to finding its new female costar. Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright are officially going to the long-awaited The World's End. Steven Moffat drops hints about the new Doctor Who companion. Plus new Prometheus videos!

Spoilers from here on out!

Top image from The Dark Knight Rises.

The Dark Knight Rises

Inception actress Marion Cotillard, who is officially playing Wayne Enterprises executive Miranda Tate but is heavily rumored to be playing Talia al Ghul — a rumor bolstered by the fact that child actress Joey King has confirmed she is playing a young Talia, so the character is in the film in some capacity — has now officially addressed those rumors. And, officially, she says she really is just playing Miranda Tate, not Talia, and that her part is a "very, very small role." Miranda Tate is apparently an ecologically minded businesswoman, and Cotillard describes her as such: "[She] is fascinated by Wayne Enterprises. They go through difficulties, and she wants to help provide the world clean energies. She's a good guy."

She insists the character remains that way throughout. Feel free to reconcile that with all those set photos of her apparently leading a team of armed thugs and riding around in a massive armored truck however you like. Basically, either Miranda Tate is one seriously useful ally for Batman, or Cotillard is using the Clark Gregg method of avoiding massive character spoilers — namely, by completely lying about it. [Hollywood Reporter]

Iron Man 3

The Town costar Rebecca Hall is reportedly very close to taking on the role of "sexy scientist" that was recently vacated by Tree of Life actress Jessica Chastain. Beyond the stated sexiness of the character, this particular scientist is reportedly involved in helping create the Extremis nanotechnology that ultimately falls into terrorist hands. [Variety]

The Amazing Spider-Man

Some sort of "super preview" will apparently air on next Monday's America's Got Talent, and here's a promo for it.

Star Trek 2

Both Spock actor Zachary Quinto and Scottie actor Simon Pegg have put out tweets strongly suggesting they have finished filming on the sequel, give or take the inevitable reshoots (and maybe a Leonard Nimoy cameo for good measure). Either way, looks like filming is pretty much done. [MTV Movies Blog]

Prometheus

Here's a new TV spot. [Shock Till You Drop]

And here's a behind the scenes video. [Coming Soon]

The World's End

Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg — whose previous collaborations include the absolutely not optional Spaced, Shaun of the Dead, and my personal favorite Hot Fuzz — are reportedly ready to go ahead with the third movie in the so-called Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy. This one is supposed to be somehow apocalyptic, and it is reportedly set to film this September. Nick Frost will also be back as Pegg's costar. Here's a rumored description:

20 years after attempting an epic pub crawl, five childhood friends reunite when one of them becomes hell bent on trying the drinking marathon again. They are convinced to stage an encore by mate Gary King, a 40-year old man trapped at the cigarette end of his teens, who drags his reluctant pals to their home town and once again attempts to reach the fabled pub, The World's End. As they attempt to reconcile the past and present, they realize the real struggle is for the future, not just theirs but humankind's. Reaching The World's End is the least of their worries.

[Deadline]

Frankenweenie

Director Tim Burton discusses when he decided to make this feature length stop motion movie based on the original short he made 30 years ago:

Probably way back because I've always added little things. It's funny because when we did the first short we thought without much trouble this could be more of a feature, but it felt like that story — the boy and his dog — so that's where it took a few years to kind of do the house withFrankenstein kind of Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein kind of mix up.

The beginning of the film is the same set up to the original; so how much fidelity does the feature have to the short?
The core was that. That's the through line of the story. We just tried to weave in the other stuff as naturally as possible. One of the things that I was also interested in this rather than the original was kind of going back to the classroom sort of a kid's politics and a sort of rivalry with kids. You know that kinds of world seemed to kind of work with the house of Frankenweenie motif. We tried to fold that in naturally so it didn't feel like two different stories. The original boy and his dog story is the root of it.

He also recently screened 26 minutes of footage. Here's part of /Film's reaction, which includes some plot hints:

In the film, once the town realizes what Victor has done – reanimate his dog – all the kids decide they want to do the same thing. What happens is all their dead pets come back to life, but none of them are as sweet at Sparky, the main character. They're evil, vicious, and in some cases, huge monsters. Frankenweenie goes from being a story about a boy who loves his dog mixed with Frankenstein to a huge battle between the kids of the town and their reanimated, dead monster pets. It looks very, very cool.

G.I. Joe Retaliation

Jamie Bradshaw, who directed the film with Alexander Doulerain, gave this explanation of the movie's premise:

The most powerful weapon on earth today is not a gun or a disease, nor is it even visible to many. It is Marketing. Marketing is the power to control your desires and change your mind, and if you look closer there is something about it that is not of this earth.

[/Film]

Doctor Who

Steven Moffat offers some cryptic but definitely intriguing hints about what to expect from Jenna-Louise Coleman's new companion:

"I'll answer you in the show about how it's going to be different. But because it is going to be different. It's going to be a shock, I think. In terms of the companions all being 'the same' — that's not as phony or artistically crap a thing to say as it sounds. What is the base group of people who would run away with the Doctor? They're all going to be a bit mad. A bit dislocated. Not happy with where they are. Are they yearning for outer space? They're going to be people who feel like they can take on the Doctor, who's quite an intimidating sort of person. So, they're going to be feisty — they're going to be all those things. He sort of defines the people who are going to travel with him. The distinction comes very much from the various actors and actresses. So, you know, they're the ones who create the differences between them. But you are always going to have the same sort of person, just because it's the same man choosing them, and its the same person being chosen."

The series seven premiere, which reportedly has the awesomely stupid title "All of the Daleks", will reportedly screen between August 23 and 25 at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival, although its general premiere date is likely to be considerably later, perhaps as late as November if they plan to run the series through Christmas with no breaks. [Blogtor Who]

Fringe

Grimm

This Friday's episode will feature a Bigfoot or two and an ever timely homage to The Blair Witch Project. (Come to think of it, the recent spate of found footage movies might actually have made Blair Witch parodies timely again. Maybe not.) Anyway, you can check out a relevant sneak peek at the link. [TV Guide]

Touch

Here's a bunch of promos and sneak peeks for tonight's episode, "Music of the Spheres."

Revolution

The episode will feature Elena kissing Stefan and Elena choosing between Stefan and Damon... although these two events are not necessarily linked. [TV Guide]

Tyler actor Michael Trevino teases what to expect from the finale:

"It's all of it. It is emotional, there is a good amount of cliffhangers, but the way it ends, the last minute, it's just a mindblow! You're kind of wondering like, 'OK, maybe Klaus will be gone for a little bit because now we have to deal with all this. Now we have to deal with this problem.' It's big! The last minute is what everyone is going to be talking about, but then you have to remember the journey of all these other characters and their arcs in the finale. We have another person that leaves Mystic Falls for good, and then just the individual storylines on where this season leaves them and how we're even going to pick it up in the fourth season."

[E! Online]

The Secret Circle

Here's a preview from showrunner Andrew Miller for tonight's season — and, if you believe the rumors, series — finale, "Family."

And here's another promo.

Additional reporting by Ben Vrignon.

Richard Curtis's time-traveling romcom About Time finds a new leading lady. Fox renews one low-rated science fiction drama while dropping another. The Vampire Diaries showrunner goes inside last night's finale. Plus a Ray Bradbury adaptation... and Chloe Moretz is a zombie!

It's spoilers all the way down!

Top image from Game of Thrones.

Snow White and the Huntsman

Here's a behind the scenes video. You can also check out a sneak peek at the link. [Coming Soon]

Men in Black 3

Here's a new video featuring clips and interviews with the cast. [First Showing]

And here's a new international TV spot.

About Time

Midnight in Paris and Sherlock Holmes actress Rachel McAdams has reportedly been cast as the romantic lead in this film from Four Weddings and a Funeral and Blackadder writer Richard Curtis, who also wrote the excellent Doctor Who episode "Vincent and the Doctor." McAdams is taking over for New Girl star Zooey Deschanel. She will play a time traveler's love interest, possibly because she is attempting to copy and paste over the first time she played that exact role in that misbegotten The Time Traveler's Wife adaptation. [Hollywood Reporter]

Maggie

Dark Shadows actress Chloe Moretz and Hot Fuzz actor Paddy Considine are reportedly in talks for this zombie movie, in which Moretz and Considine would play daughter and father - if I'm reading between the lines correctly — Considine's unconditional love is unaffected by Moretz being turned into a zombie in the midst of a full-on undead apocalypse. The budget is a low $10 million, and it will reportedly be directed by commercials veteran Henry Hobson from a script by John Scott 3. [Variety]

From the Dust Returned

MGM has reportedly acquired the rights to legendary author Ray Bradbury's 2001 novel. Denise Di Novi and Alison Greenspan, who previous developed an adaptation of Bradbury's The Illustrated Man collection for Warner Bros., are handling production duties. Here's the official description of the novel from Bradbury's website:

Fifty-five years in the making, "From the Dust Returned" grew out of a short story, "Homecoming," which appeared in the October 1946 issue of Mademoiselle magazine. Bradbury has published just five other stories about the Elliots, an outlandish, greathearted and loving-spirited Halloween creature clan and their "abnormal" (i.e., his face is reflected in the mirror!) adopted son Timothy. Over the years, Bradbury readers have clamored for more Elliott tales. A lifelong labor of love, "From the Dust Returned" is a novel (in much the way "The Martian Chronicles" is a novel) comprised of the previously published six stories interwoven with newer chapters and "connective tissue" that give us an unforgettable portrait of the rise and fall of a most peculiar brood. Here are Cecy, "the one who dreams," a young girl yearning for love who can experience the world only through the travels of her mind; Uncle Einar, a fun-loving, proud-winged vampire who loses his ability to fly; Great Grandmère, the family matriarch, who speaks of millennia gone by from deep within her mummified wrappings; and Tom, a farm boy whom Cecy "meets" and falls in love with one night during one of her spirit-borne journeys.

[Deadline via Coming Soon]

RED 2

Chicago star Catherine Zeta-Jones and G.I. Joe: Retaliation's Byung-Hun Lee have been cast alongside Bruce Willis and the rest of the semi-geriatric retired CIA operatives in the sequel to the adaptation of the Warren Ellis comic of the same name. There may have been a simpler way to phrase all that. [Coming Soon]

Fringe

Here's a sneak peek at tonight's season finale, "Brave New World: Part 2." [TV Guide]

Here's a video in which Leonard Nimoy and the rest of the cast discuss William Bell's big comeback. [SpoilerTV]

And here's the second half of the joint interview where John Noble and Leonard Nimoy discuss the relationship between Walter Bishop and William Bell. [Fringe Television]

Game of Thrones

Robb Stark actor Richard Madden says he'd like to see his character meet King Joffrey... and gives a pretty good reason why it probably won't happen anytime soon:

"I'd like to see Robb and Joffrey have a scene together, and I kind of think I know how it would end. He'd cut his head off completely. In a second."

[E! Online]

True Blood

Here's a casting call for the eleventh episode of season five:

[ELDER FAERIE] Female, 40s and up. African American or Caucasian. Actor / Dancer. One Episode Guest Star. STAR NAMES ONLY

[IMDB Forums]

Awake

Here's a promo for next week's episode, "Two Birds", which is the penultimate entry of the season and, in all likelihood, the series.

Person of Interest

Here's a promo for next week's season finale, "Firewall", which guest stars genre stalwart Amy Acker.

Once Upon a Time

Here's an extended promo and a sneak peek for this Sunday's season finale, "A Land Without Magic."

Showrunner Edward Kitsis offers this cryptic hint for the finale:

"Regina enacted a curse for revenge that left a hole in her heart that she's trying to fill with Henry. This will test her unlike any other."

[E! Online]

In totally unsurprising news, the show has reportedly been renewed for a second season. [KSiteTV]

Alcatraz

Next, in not particularly unexpected but still vaguely disappointing news, Alcatraz has been cancelled. [Den of Geek]

Touch

Finally, in other, much more disappointing news... Touch has been renewed for a second season. [E! Online]

Here's a promo for next week's episode, "Tessellations."

Here's the description for the episode:

MARTIN MAKES AN IMPORTANT DECISION ON AN ALL-NEW "TOUCH" THURSDAY, MAY 17, ON FOX

When Martin is mistaken for a criminal, he must involve himself with a heist crew in order to win back an innocent dock worker's job. Meanwhile, an Israeli boy (guest star Sean Peavy) and Palestinian girl (guest star Eden Modiano) fight to keep their relationship afloat. Clea uncovers some surprising documents about Jake, while Martin and his late wife's sister (guest star Catherine Dent) meet to make a pivotal decision.

The Vampire Dairies

Executive producer Julie Plec discusses the major fallout of the third season finale, in which Elena appears on the road to becoming a vampire:

You've got a girl who just sorta lost her last adult living family member when Aunt Jenna died last year, so when we started this season, what we really wanted to do was begin this relationship with Alaric as her guardian and mentor, and then tear that away from her at the end leaving her and her brother with nobody. It felt like now was the time — when you're left with no grownup, no adult supervision, no parent, no guardian — for Elena to experience the next evolution of her journey. All the stuff that we did with having her get stronger over the course of the year, training and getting in touch with her physical self, and all the grief and all the emotion that she went through, all the compassion that she has for everybody, it will all play into next year and what kind of person and vampire she will actually be — if she should choose to see the transition through.

Obviously, she will transition.
There will be a discussion to be had about it at the beginning, but the road we're going down is pretty balls out.

She also discusses at length what all this means for Elena and Damon:

What we've said all year is that this is the choice for who she is at this moment in her life, and what she wants out of her life, and who she wants to have in her life in a romantic way. Though she has obviously grown to love Damon, and probably be in love with Damon, over the course of three seasons, what she said was 100 percent true: Even at its worst, she never fell out of love with Stefan, and you just can't let somebody like that go. So letting Damon go was the right thing to do for her. Of course now, who knows what's gonna happen? Her life just got completely turned upside down and ripped inside out. God only knows how each brother is gonna handle it? If they have opposing viewpoints [read: Damon definitely would have saved Elena first, so she'd still be human], then how are they going to handle each other? They just miraculously survived this year tighter than ever as brothers, what will this new development due to that relationship? There's all kinds of great questions that are gonna come up as a result of all this.

One of the twists we didn't see coming — conveniently after Elena said maybe her choice would have been different if she'd met Damon first — was that Damon HAD actually met her first on the night of her parents' crash, but he compelled her to forget because he didn't want anyone else to know he was in town.
Damon now has a small collection of things that he's compelled her to forget. If there's one thing that everyone knows about our vampire rules is that when you die and are in transition, your memories start to come back. So, there's some new information that will be introduced to Elena in the first episode of next season. I think it's just all part of the ongoing friendship and romantic entanglement that Elena has with Damon. She's never gonna be able to shake it completely, and new information is only gonna get under her skin and embed itself into her even more. And so, it will cause complications with Stefan, of course. But she's committed to Stefan. She loves Stefan. We'll get to actually see them be together for a little while.

There's still more at the link. [EW]

Young Justice: Invasion

Here are some promo photos for tomorrow morning's third episode, "Alienated", and there's also a brief description below. [KSiteTV]

The Team and the Justice League continue to hunt the Kroloteans that have invaded earth – but the aliens have help from an extremely unexpected source…"

Additional reporting by Jennifer Griffith-Delgado.

The exact genetic roots of autism are still being untangled, but we do know that the most common single-gene causes of the condition is Fragile X syndrome, in which errors on the X chromosome trip up normal neural development.

Specifically, Fragile X syndrome prevents the production of a crucial protein known as FMRP. This particular protein is needed to activate the NOS1 gene, which in humans is found throughout the developing brain. Most importantly, NOS1 helps guide the maturation of the brain's speech and language and decision-making centers.

Although we don't actually know for absolutely certain, it seems likely that there's a connection between the loss of NOS1 activity in these parts of the brain and a lot of the cognitive impairments seen in Fragile X syndrome. These include speech difficulties, reduced intelligence scores, and attention problems. Of course, there's substantial overlap between the effects of Fragile X syndrome and autism symptoms.

Indeed, Fragile X syndrome accounts for about 5% of autism cases, and those with the syndrome have anywhere from a 15% to 60% chance of also having autism spectrum disorder. Obviously, there's a lot of uncertainty with the numbers there, but there's still enough verifiable data there for researchers to consider Fragile X syndrome the most common single-gene cause of autism that we currently know about.

And now, researchers at Yale's Kavli Institute for Neuroscience have discovered something intriguing about the NOS1 activity that is so linked to Fragile X syndrome. The specific genetic activities disrupted by the syndrome are only seen in the human brain - when the researchers looked for similar NOS1 activity in mouse brains, they couldn't find anything.

This almost certainly means that NOS1 is linked to the higher brain functions that set humans apart from other species. It also suggests that, if the disruption of NOS1 activity is indeed a crucial factor in the cognitive problems seen in Fragile X and autism, then it's the presence of those higher brain functions in the first place that makes us vulnerable.

That's not necessarily a surprising result - it makes intuitive sense that the more sophisticated human brain would be more susceptible to these sorts of complex cognitive difficulties - but it's some of the starkest proof we have ever found regarding the trade-offs that come with increased intelligence. In a statement, head researcher Kenneth Kwan sums it up:

This is the cost of being human. The same evolutionary mechanisms that may have gifted our species with amazing cognitive abilities have also made us more susceptible to psychiatric disorders such as autism. This is an example of where the function of genetic changes that likely drove aspects of human brain evolution was disrupted in disease, possibly reverting some of our newly acquired cognitive abilities and thus contributing to a psychiatric outcome."

Original paper at Cell. Image by pixeldreams.eu, via Shutterstock.

Kusunda is one of the most enigmatic languages on the planet. This tongue from western Nepal looks nothing like any other language, and its strange structure baffles linguists. And there's only one person left in Nepal who speaks it.

Kusunda is an example of a language isolate, meaning a language with no known relative. Of course, this probably doesn't mean the language developed in isolation - in practice, it means that any connections it might have with other languages are so ancient that its relatives have all either gone extinct or changed so much that any links are no longer detectable.

There are dozens, perhaps hundreds of such language isolates still spoken today, although most are on the verge of extinction. The language most famous for being an isolate is probably the Basque language spoken on the northern border of Spain and France. That said, the 650,000 Basque speakers are utterly dwarfed by the 78 million speakers of the world's most vibrant language isolate: Korean.

As such, language isolate status is definitely not necessarily a death sentence, but things are looking very grim indeed for Kusunda. The native tongue of a tribe of hunter-gathers in western Nepal, Kusunda was barely known until the 1960s and it wasn't until 2004 that linguists met Gyani Maya Sen, who is now the last fluent speaker of the language living in Nepal. It's thought that there's about six other fluent speakers of the language, but they have either left the country or their whereabouts are unknown.

BBC News has a great overview of the language's current sad situation and the steps that would need to be taken to save at least the knowledge of Kusunda, if not the language itself. Whether it's truly worth devoting extensive resources to saving dying languages is admittedly a tricky question that really deserves its own discussion. (I'd personally say it absolutely is worth it, but I can certainly see the counterarguments.) Either way, Kusunda is a language quite literally unlike any other on the planet, and its loss would represent a tragic reduction in the seemingly endless varieties of human expression and communication.

Read the original article at BBC News. Image of Nepal by girolame on Flickr.

After The Avengers made another $100 million at the box office this weekend, a sequel is simply a matter of time. And it sounds like Joss Whedon has a definite idea about whom he wants to add to the team... and it isn't another dude!

Plus Christopher Nolan talks the challenges of making his third Batman movie. Check out The Amazing Spider-Man's viral campaign and get the lowdown on the Lizard. Fringe's showrunners give some major hints about the final season. Lance Henrickson is convinced his old TV show Millennium is coming back as a movie.

Plus lots more hints for Falling Skies, True Blood, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, and the CW's newest genre shows.

Spoilers from here on out!

Top image from The Dark Knight Rises.

The Dark Knight Rises

Director Christopher Nolan discusses the particular challenges of wrapping up his Batman trilogy:

"We feel a tremendous challenge and responsibility to finish our story. We have to give the audiences something they haven't seen before, but also fulfill their expectations of what they enjoyed in the first two films. That's the tricky balance. With a sequel there is always the challenge of trying to meet or indeed exceed expectations. And some of those are based on the size, scale and world of the film. We traveled to many different places because we wanted to give it a broader canvas."

[Total Film Magazine via Comic Book Movie]

The Avengers

When asked which character he would like to add in the now guaranteed sequel, writer-director Joss Whedon pointedly drew attention to how many men are on the team relative to the only woman (or two women, if you want to count Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill). And suggested he'd like to redress the gender balance a bit. Black Widow actress Scarlett Johansson voiced strong approval of this proposal, and I'd say there's a very good chance we will see one of Marvel's main female superheroes — in terms of Avengers history, the leading candidates would probably be The Wasp, Ms. Marvel, or Scarlet Witch, who can appear so long as there's no mention of the X-Men side of her character — appear in the sequel. There's a lot more at the link, including an interesting discussion among the Avengers cast about female-led action movies. [EW]

The Amazing Spider-Man

Here's a video featuring the movie's main villain the Lizard, as played by Rhys Ifans.

Speaking of Ifans, he plays his human alter ego Dr. Curt Connors in this viral video from the movie's Oscorp Industries tie-in site.

The Last Voyage of the Demeter

Neil Marshall, whose directorial credits include batshit awesome stuff like The Descent, Doomsday, and the upcoming Battle of Blackwater episode of Game of Thrones, is reportedly now attached to direct this movie based on Bram Stoker's Dracula. As you might be able to guess, the movie focuses on the section of Dracula in which the vampire travels to England on baord the ship Demeter, and he kills the entire crew along the way. Screenwriter Bragi Schut's script reportedly takes an Alien-like approach to the material, telling the story from the perspective of the Russian crew as Dracula lurks in the shadows and hunts them down. [Heat Vision]

Millennium

Star Lance Henrickson says he really thinks there will be a movie version of X-Files creator Cris Carter long canceled show:

"I think it's going to happen. I really do... There's a big push on right now and there's a lot of crazy people involved in it. They've written a book with interviews with everybody that was on the show including [Frank] Spotnitz and me...It's crazy that you wouldn't give it a shot. It doesn't have to be a $30 million movie either. There's a lot of fans out there in 65 countries. I can't go into any other country without them wondering when the movie is going to be made."

He also suggests the time is actually better now for the Millennium concept than it was when the show was actually on the air:

"Ever since 9/11, the world has changed so radically. If 'Millennium' was made today with those characters, it would be a far more interesting show than the limited palette they had with serial killers. I love the idea of a non-judgemental character like Frank Black was... He wanted to know why and how all these things happened, but he knew that judging someone for what they've done would just get in the way of finding out things. Imagine that kind of morality and focus, like a master chess player. There's beads on a string and suddenly you've got a necklace. He knew how to do it. It would be much more interesting now than it was then.

"When you trap a guy like Frank Black, who has that kind of imagination and you put him in a world like Bulgaria where everything is in Cyrillic and he can't communicate actively with a lot of people, he has to do it in another way. I've thought of how it could be done. You just keep moving the pressure in on him about this kind of terrorist stuff. A terrorist plot. The pressure keeps building and building and building until you realize that that pressure gave him all the answers he needed. You would be gasping for air to wonder what is going to happen to this guy."

[Coming Soon]

Wool

20th Century Fox is reportedly close to acquiring the rights to Hal Howey's self-published e-book Wool. The book has been compared quite a bit to Fifty Shades of Grey, presumably because of the massive grassroots internet response and not because of similarly, uh, unique content. Anyway, here's the synopsis:

Wool is about a dystopian future where the last inhabitants on earth band together in safe bunkers called silos. No one is allowed outside until a secret is discovered that could change the course of humanity, as well as reveal its devastating past.

[Deadline]

Untitled Apocalyptic Thriller

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Danny DeVito reveals he just finished directing an apolayptic movie:

"I was truly excited about getting behind the camera on this one. It is my first foray into the thriller genre and I've enjoyed the challenge of making an 89 minute edge-of-your-seater...The film revolves around a wounded cop, a wounded murderer and a sultry nurse. The three are thrust together, as war rages outside the only possible safe house, an abandoned City Hospital. With no doctors and only a few poor decrepit souls as witnesses, it becomes a rats' maze as the antagonistic trio get separated, and we find out the real reason they are there."

[Coming Soon]

Fringe

Showrunner Joel Wyman gives some major hints about where the fifth and final season is headed:

Well, let's say that basically 2036 is extremely important to Season 5. It's crucial, but having said that, everything that you have seen in Fringe from Season 1 all the way to 4 is really, really, really, really important to what's going on in Season 5, and 2036 is part of that. It's a 13-episode sprint; there's no filler episodes. It answers some very bold questions. It culminates with a very satisfying type of crescendo that really is so important for the fans, that's the biggest thing. That's the only thing that's really important is to make sure that they feel absolutely satiated.

He and fellow showrunner Jeff Pinkner also discuss just why Olivia survived and whether she is safe now:

Pinkner: Part of the answer to your question is yes, Olivia healed because of all the cortexiphan. At the end of Season 4, as Walter said on the screen, because of the wildly activated cortexiphan in her body, this experiment to heal her brain tissue would work. Because that's not constantly the case, because that's just a fleeting condition, absolutely, she could be killed.
Wyman: They don't know if anything is over. So they've been given that warning. I think that it's best to have the audience not know either and be with them in that trepidation of going forward, going, "Well, maybe." That's more like real life, isn't it?

There's plenty more good stuff at the link. [TV Guide]

Game of Thrones

Here's an interview with Robb Stark actor Richard Madden.

True Blood

Here's a bunch more casting calls for the eleventh episode of the upcoming fifth season. The episode is reportedly called "Finally":

[GONDRY] Mid 30s, slimy and conniving, with slicked back hair, Gondry is a Vampire Security Guard. He has a sort of amused contempt for his assignment. Guest star.
[BERTRAND] A swarthy Frenchman, authoritative, confident, he is the Minister of the European Vampire League. Guest star.
[MURPHY ROLLINS] Mid 50s, a werewolf, strong, a man who speaks his mind, he brings a warning about a new breed of vampires to Alcide and Jackson. Guest star.
[TEEN-GIRL VAMPIRE] This teenage girl vampire with a ravenous, feral, just plain evil look about her. Co-star.
[ANGRY FAERIE] This angry faerie gets into an argument with the Belligerent Faerie and the Pissed Off Faerie in a faerie free-for-all. Co-star.
[AUTHORTY GUARD #1, #2] These rough Authority Guards at the prison help keep order. Co-star.
[BIKER VAMP] This newly formed vampire with a feral, ravaneous, evil look is traveling around with the Teen-Girl Vamp and the Businessman Vamp. No lines, 2 scenes. (40)
[BUSINESSMAN VAMP] This businessman vamp with a ravenous, feral, just plain evil look. Co-star.
[FAERIE BOY, FAERIE GIRL] This Faerie boy and girl get all amorous and excited as they pull Jason into their Faerie Club. Co-star.

[IMDB Forums]

The Walking Dead

Here's a casting call for season three:

[MANUEL] 30 to 40, Hispanic, a working class survivor, he is confident, physically skilled, a leader when necessary, capable and smart. Has a terrific sense of humor where you wouldn't expect one. Recurring.

[IMDB Forums]

Supernatural

Here's a promo for this Friday's seventh season finale, "Survival of the Fittest."

Falling Skies

Here's a bunch of promo art for the second season of TNT's alien invasion drama, which kicks of June 17. There's also an accompanying quote from showrunner Remi Aubuchon below. [EW]

"I think as we get to know our enemy better, we're going to see it's not as black and white as we thought it was. There's much more to it than we ever expected there would be and I think that will be surprising."

Hal Mason actor Drew Roy discusses what's ahead between his character and Maggie:

"The cool thing about Hal and Maggie is that Hal comes from a completely different world and lifestyle than Maggie. We don't even really know that much about Maggie. We know she had cancer, we know she came from Pope's group, but we don't know what all she went through over there, and Maggie has a very dark, interesting past, whereas you have squeaky clean Hal over here who was a lacrosse player in an All-American family, just living what is pretty much the best of the American way. It's not really until they find themselves looking death in the eye and almost seeing the other one be killed that they begin to realize, 'You know, if I had to do this without that other person, that would really, really be tough. Maybe there's more between the two of us than we really know... Could this actually be a great relationship that fuels both of us to be more inclined to be on top of things and really be a fruitful relationship that pushes us both to be better people, better fighters, better soldiers?'"

[Examiner]

Arrow

The CW has picked up a bunch of genre shows, most notably their Green Arrow pilot. Here's the official description of the series:

After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the Pacific. When he returns home to Starling City, his devoted mother Moira, much-beloved sister Thea, and best friend Tommy welcome him home, but they sense Oliver has been changed by his ordeal on the island. While Oliver hides the truth about the man he's become, he desperately wants to make amends for the actions he took as the boy he was. Most particularly, he seeks reconciliation with his former girlfriend, Laurel Lance. As Oliver reconnects with those closest to him, he secretly creates the persona of Arrow – a vigilante – to right the wrongs of his family, fight the ills of society, and restore Starling City to its former glory. By day, Oliver plays the role of a wealthy, carefree and careless philanderer he used to be – flanked by his devoted chauffeur/bodyguard, John Diggle – while carefully concealing the secret identity he turns to under cover of darkness. However, Laurel's father, Detective Quentin Lance, is determined to arrest the vigilante operating in his city. Meanwhile, Oliver's own mother, Moira, knows much more about the deadly shipwreck than she has let on – and is more ruthless than he could ever imagine.

The series stars Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, Colin Donnell as Tommy, Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance, David Ramsey as John Diggle, Willa Holland as Thea Queen, with Susanna Thompson as Moira Queen and Paul Blackthorne as Detective Quentin Lance.

[OCSK]

Beauty and the Beast (CW)

The CW also picked up this update of the 1980s Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman Beauty and the Beast show, this time around starring Smallville's Kristin Kreuk:

Detective Catherine Chandler is a smart, no-nonsense homicide detective. When she was a teenager, Catherine witnessed the murder of her mother at the hands of two gunmen. Catherine would have been killed too, but someone – or something – saved her. No one has ever believed her, but she knows it wasn't an animal that attacked the assassins…it was human. Years have passed, and Catherine is a strong, confident, capable police officer, working alongside her equally talented partner, Tess. While investigating a murder, Catherine discovers a clue that leads her to a handsome doctor named Vincent Keller, who was reportedly killed by enemy fire while serving in Afghanistan in 2002. Catherine learns that Vincent is actually still alive and that it was he who saved her many years before. For mysterious reasons that have forced him to live outside of traditional society, Vincent has been in hiding for the past 10 years to guard his secret – when he is enraged, he becomes a terrifying beast, unable to control his super-strength and heightened senses. Catherine agrees to protect his identity in return for any insight he may have into her mother's murder. Thus begins a complex relationship between Catherine and Vincent, who are powerfully drawn to each other yet understand that their connection is extremely dangerous for both of them.

The series stars Kristin Kreuk ("Smallville," "Chuck") as Catherine, Jay Ryan ("Terra Nova") as Vincent, Max Brown ("The Tudors," "MI-5") as Evan, Nina Lisandrello ("Nurse Jackie") as Tess, Nicole Gale Anderson ("Make It or Break It") as Heather, Austin Basis ("Life Unexpected") as J.T., and Brian White ("The Shield," "The Cabin in the Woods") as Joe.

[OCSK]

Additional reporting by Gordon Jackson and Charlie Jane Anders.

Idris Elba confirms he will be back for Thor 2. Does the Prometheus soundtrack listing reveal major plot points? Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity gets delayed. A Robert Heinlein classic is getting adapted. Plus what's ahead on the next season of The Vampire Diaries!

Spoilers from here on out!

Top image from Prometheus.

Iron Man 3

Iron Man and Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau confirms he will still be involved in the production process now that Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang director Shane Black has taken over:

Yeah, down in Wilmington, it's starting to shoot in a couple weeks. I was just talking to Shane Black and Downey and look, I think it's a really smart way to go. After Avengers, you want to start with something really bold and inspired, and if you've ever seen Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang you've seen that when Downey and Shane get together, interesting and unexpected things happen, and I'm happy to see that it's taking a bit of a tonal shift from The Avengers and it's going to be something completely different and exciting, and I'm happy to be a part of it.

What kind of tonal shift? Darker?
No, just a little bit more offbeat, I'd say. Shane and Robert definitely have an original point of view and an original take on the character, and I think it delves deeper into what makes Tony Stark tick and plays on the unexpected original unpredictable quality of the character that I think fans gravitate to.

Are you going to be involved on a daily basis?
I'll be very involved on that one. I've already been talking to them and I feel a tremendous connection to that franchise and that character, and I'm very proud to see it moving forward in a way that re-enforces that story.

[Heat Vision]

Thor 2

The Wire and Luther star Idris Elba confirms he will be back as Heimdall:

Yes, I am. I'm definitely going to do my man in a suit film.

What are you most excited about getting to do in the sequel?
I'd just like to get to know him a bit more. Who is Heimdall? He guards the gate. Okay. Is there anything else? I don't know what is in the script because I haven't read it yet. But, the audience has responded to Asgard and wants to know more about who lives there and what it's about. I'm sure, if they do that, Heimdall will be featured more.

[Collider]

The Amazing Spider-Man

True Blood

Revolution

Iron Man director Jon Favreau directed the pilot for the upcoming NBC series from J.J. Abrams and Supernatural creator Eric Kripke. He describes the post-energy world of the show, which just released its first trailer:

Yeah, we wanted to make it actually hopeful, even though that doesn't sound like it really fits with the dystopian world that postapocalyptic stories are usually set against. But the feeling was that there was a whole younger generation that grew up without power, and that when nature begins to reclaim what we've built — whether it's cities, you see the city of Chicago 15 years after it's been all but abandoned — you see that the plants start to grow back over things and there's a lushness and a greenness, and the green shoots of new life that have come over society. So it's kind of an interesting, different spin on it that was something we really did and planned for and discussed.

How much involvement will you have with the show going forward?
I'm going to be involved. I'm going to be a producer on the show, and I'm as soon as I'm done out here, I'm going to go back and hit the writers room and Eric is going to be breaking stories for the new season with J.J. and myself, and then hopefully either direct or be involved some way for future episodes.

[Heat Vision]

666 Park Avenue

Here's the official description for ABC's newly picked up supernatural series:

666 Park Ave. features a young couple (Dave Annabele, Rachael Taylor) who accept an offer to manage one of the most historic apartment buildings in New York City as they unwittingly begin to experience supernatural occurrences that complicate and endanger the lives of everyone in the building. Based on the book by Gabriella Pierce. Lost‘s Terry O'Quinn, Vanessa Williams, Mercedes Masohn, Robert Buckley and Helena Mattsson co-star; Erik Palladino appears in the pilot.

[Multiple Verses]

The Vampire Diaries

Executive producer Julie Plec says there's pretty much no way out - Elena is going to become a vampire:

They're going to try to pull out all the stops to try to prevent it when we come back, but I think the writing is on the wall as far as her journey.

In the past, Elena's been very adamant about not wanting that life. How will this affect her?
It's going to affect her in a lot of ways. It changes everything for her. It's not going to be easy. It's going to be a struggle. It's going to illuminate a lot of things about who she is, and it's going to screw with her head and her emotions. It's going to be tough. But the beauty of Elena is now we'll get to see her try to rise above it and be a champion in spite of this. We'll see how hard that is and how long it takes her to become a functioning vampire, if at all.

Given how crazy her life has become and all the supernatural elements in it, was this inevitable for Elena?
Yeah, I think so. Who knows if the books hadn't turned her into a vampire at the end of book one if we would have gone down this road or if it never would have occurred to us to go down this road? That's hard to say. But when [executive producer Kevin Williamson and I] signed on to this project, we did know that, at some point, we would be turning her. It really just was a matter of when. It's definitely the next chapter in her story.

There's more at the link. [TV Line]

Tron Uprising

Tron: Legacy writers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis discuss why the animated spin-off Tron Uprising allows them to go deeper into this virtual world:

Horowitz: In writing Tron: Legacy, we had two hours to tell a story and a world that was so exciting and rich to explore. Tron: Uprising has been an amazing opportunity to explore the time between Legacy, when we see Clu overthrow Flynn and Sam's arrival at the beginning, and take that time period and really go out into the Grid and see what happens.
Kitsis: When we wrote the movie, you would see a scene where they would pass through other sectors, and we always wanted to explore one of those sectors. So, for us, Tron: Uprising really explores the Grid, what it means to be a Program, what it means to be a Program going from living under Flynn to living under Clu, and we really get to dig deep into the world. This will allow us to really explore it in a deeper way. Not deeper than the movie, but we really get to explore the little sections of the Grid that we didn't have time to show you.

[Collider]

Teen Wolf

Here are some promo photos for the second season of the MTV series that prominently involves both werewolves and lacrosse, yet tragically is somehow not about werewolf lacrosse. [SpoilerTV]

Additional reporting by Ben Vrignon and Charlie Jane Anders.

Yesterday's Eureka was the most fun (non-animated) episode of the show in ages, as weird spikes in Sheriff Carter's brain made him swap bodies with the rest of the cast. The results were equal parts funny, disturbing, and weirdly poignant.

"Jack Of All Trades" features the return of Wallace Shawn as the Department of Defense auditor, who is there to determine whether the Astraeus crew should be cleared for duty or redacted. With many of their jobs hanging in the balance, our heroes are understandably nervous, and even more so when Carter and Fargo suddenly swap bodies right in the middle of Fargo's evaluation, leaving Fargo in the unenviable position of having to trust Carter to impress the auditor with his intellect. The episode is then off to the races as Carter keeps switching minds, next with Zane and then with Allison, which gives both characters a chance to work out some of their lingering resentment towards Carter and Jo from their time in the computer simulation.

After the fairly serious opening three-part arc and the interesting but muddled "Friendly Fire", a more or less straight-up comedy episode like "Jack Of All Trades" was just what I was looking for. Except for a couple scattered points in the early years of the show, Eureka has never really embraced the zanier side of its premise. Funny as it often is, the show is very rarely as wacky as the basic description - "A town full of mad scientists" - would seem to suggest. As such, I'm always happy to see the show take on the wackier, more outlandish sci-fi concepts, and body-swapping is right on the top of that list.

I'm a sucker for body-swapping, and a lot of that is simply because I love watching actors impersonate each other's performances. (You know, I liked Dollhouse a lot, but the real reason I'm sad it got cancelled was we didn't get to see Enver Gjokaj perfectly mimic all the rest of the cast, one by one.) In this case, a lot of the body-swapped performances here felt more like affectionate caricatures of each other than perfect impressions, and the episode might have occasionally scraped up against the fourth wall. But I'm willing to forgive that — not to mention the fact that the science behind this episode felt slightly more ridiculous than usual — because the end result was so consistently amusing.

Colin Ferguson gets to have the most fun in this episode, as he ends up playing Carter (well, obviously), Fargo in Carter, Zane in Carter, and Allison in Carter. Admittedly, that phrasing sounds more than a little gross, something that's pointed out numerous times in the episode to great comedic effect. Carter-in-Allison pretty much yells, "Phrasing!" at one point, which I'm just going to go ahead and declare an Archer reference, intentional or not — although there's definitely no doubt about the episode's tip of the cap to Quantum Leap when Carter finds himself inside a naked Zane (phrasing!) and mutters, "Oh, boy."

Ferguson proves every bit as good as the rest of the cast in spouting technobabble, and he plays about fifty different emotional states, whether it's Fargo's vaguely creepy appraisal of Allison's romantic choices, Zane assuming he's having a sex dream as Carter, Zane being a total ass to a pretty scientist to get Carter in trouble, Allison having to calmly guide Carter out of his own brain, or Allison rather cruelly letting Jo admit her theoretical feelings to someone who she assumes is Carter, and he pretty much nails all of it.

As for the others, I think I actually have to declare Salli Richardson-Whitfield the winner of "Best Sheriff Carter" impersonation, as she most convincingly sells the idea that Carter really is inside her body. Neil Grayston and Niall Matter are a bit more over the top in their impersonations, though this makes for some great moments — I loved the opening scene between the body-swapped Fargo and Carter, in which Colin Ferguson entered as Fargo-in-Carter impersonating Neil Grayston's gait... and then Grayston left doing an exaggerated version of his own walk, as though Carter was trying to impersonate Fargo and doing at best a passable job of it. The episode also got a ton of mileage out of Zane and Carter disparaging each other's bodies as though they somehow weren't two sides of the same very attractive coin. Carter's threat to put more empty calories inside Zane's body was a particular highlight.

It would be easy to totally embrace the silliness and let the episode devolve into pure body-swapping farce. And while the Fargo-Carter stuff pretty much is just a lot of comic relief, it also works as a warm-up to the later sequences, in which the body-swapping complicates the already strained relationships between Carter, Zane, Jo, and Allison. The creative decision to swap Carter and Zane right as both are about to have sex is a bold one that goes right for the jugular, and the episode does a credible job of dealing with the fallout of such huge violations, even if they're obviously unintentional. There's probably an argument to be made that the scenario was brushed away a bit too easily — particularly since Zane has had a harder time forgiving Carter for way less than that, but between Zane's revenge and Carter almost dying, I can see how all sides would just agree it's best to move on.

In the midst of all this, we also get a great moment for Fargo that has nothing to do with the body-swapping, at least not directly. Zane's attempt to reboot Beverly Barlowe's computer simulation is what triggered all this, but it also revealed Holly's brain patterns might still be alive somewhere in the matrix. Fargo is faced with making the professional decision to save Carter's life and the personal decision to have a chance at reuniting with his lost love...and he quietly but firmly makes the only decision the director of Global Dynamics could possibly make. It's a powerful little bit of business that serves as a good reminder of just how far Fargo has come in five seasons, even if it does get a bit lost in the shuffle of everything else that's going on.

Speaking of everything else... Wallace Shawn shows up! Grace decides to leave for a while! Jack and Allison get engaged! Much like his appearances in season 4.5, Shawn is a lot of fun here as the Department of Defense auditor, managing to switch from goofy and avuncular to deadly serious and terrifying, often in the same sentence. His presence in this episode isn't as vital as it was in his two earlier appearances, mostly because it's pretty impossible to believe he's really going to redact the entire cast (not when Syfy is going to do that anyway, nine episodes from now). He's mostly just a plot complication here, albeit a very good one.

As for Grace, this feels like the sort of decision she might just as easily have reached at the end of "Friendly Fire", and only strengthens my feeling that last week's episode was a lot of running in place. It feels like the right decision for the character, though hopefully she won't have too extended an absence, particularly with so few episodes left. The engagement is a nice beat to end the episode on, and it's obviously the right progression for two characters who share a low-key but very believable romance. The only question is whether the wedding will happen in the specially shot series finale (that'd be my guess) or if it happens earlier this season. Either way, it's nice, after weeks of emotional upheaval, to have the promise of a pretty definitive happy ending for our characters...assuming things go better than Allison's last Eureka wedding, of course.

Roberto Orci promises the Star Trek sequel will boldly go where no previous Star Trek has gone before... maybe. The Rise of the Planet of the Apes sequel gets a new writer. Plus Seth Grahame-Smith explains how he's writing Beetlejuice 2!

Spoilers from here on out!

Top image from Game of Thrones.

Ant-Man

Edgar Wright is reportedly set to direct in September the final part of his, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost's trilogy began by Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. However, he just issued a comment and clarification about when he might start shooting Ant-Man:

Things are happening, and other things are happening on other things as well. There's some interesting plates spinning and I ideally hope I'll be shooting this year...

So as not to jinx things, I am going to remain spectacularly vague on this. Let's just say I hope to shoot some Antman & World's End this year.

Presumably, this would mean shooting World's End fairly quickly, and then moving on to Ant-Man in December, or perhaps more likely shooting some Ant-Man test footage at some point, since there's still a lot of pre-production work (including casting) that would need to happen between now and the start of shooting. Anyway, make of all this what you will. [/Film]

Star Trek 2

Co-writer Roberto Orci recently posted a comment on the TrekMovie site simply stating, "No remakes. No rehashes." The obvious question is whether this rules out Benedict Cumberbatch playing Khan, as that would surely involve on some level rehashing the events of "Space Seed" and maybe a bit of Wrath of Khan. For a lot of speculation on what this simple statement might mean, check out the link. [TrekMovie]

Here's a set photo from the last day of filming, which gives us our first look at She's Out of My League star Alice Eve. She appears to be wearing much the same jumpsuit that Zachary Quinto is wearing as Spock, albeit with the top half unzipped and hanging from the belt. [Trek Movie]

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Contagion writer Scott Z. Burns has reportedly been hired to write a new draft of Rupert Wyatt's follow-up to his surprise 2011 hit. Original film writers Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa wrote the first draft of the sequel script. [Heat Vision]

Under the Skin

Here's a look at Scarlett Johansson in Sexy Beast director Jonathan Glazer's new movie. Johansson plays an alien who has sex with people and kills them...but then learns the error of her way and stops. Killing people, I mean. The "having sex" thing may still be on the table. [Heat Vision]

Snow White and the Huntsman

Here's a a music video for Florence + The Machine's song "Breath of Life", which features a bit of new footage from the movie. [First Showing]

The Haunter

Here's a promo image of Little Miss Sunshine and Ender's Game star Abigail Breslin in the new movie from Splice director Vincenzo Natali. The movie stars Breslin as one of a family of ghosts who try to communicate with the new inhabitants of the house where they died mysteriously back in 1986, all in an attempt to save their successors from sharing their fate. [The Playlist]

Beetlejuice 2

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter writer Seth Grahame-Smith discusses writing a sequel to Tim Burton and Michael Keaton's classic:

Tim is waiting for me to come up with a Beetlejuice sequel that is going to get everybody to say, "Yes, we're doing this."

Have you written anything? I have but it's not something I'm ready to share. The original movie is very important to me, Tim, and Michael Keaton and in order for everybody to come back and not just feel like we're doing it as an exercise in vanity or as an exercise in commercialism, we need a story that makes sense and that feels like a worthy successor. That's not easy to do.

He also discusses the various challenges of writing the sequel:

First you go back and look at the original movie, listen to Danny's score again and again and you try your best to capture what was special. In that movie, though, there was a lot of accidental genius in it as well. I hope we get to do it and bring everybody back but I rather not do it then do the bad- just-because-we-can version of it.

Are you worried about diehard Beetlejuice fans?
I don't want to face the fans. I already write things that make people mad; some things are already controversial enough. I don't want to face my fellow fans and apologize for having made the bad Beetlejuice sequel. It's all very exciting but intimidating all at once. You asked for the ball, now it's yours, and what are you going to do with it? If I don't get it right, I would rather be honest and say, "Let's not do this."

[Movies.com]

Brave

"Dead Shadows tells the terrifying story of a young man, named Chris (Fabian Wolfrom), whose parents were brutally killed 11 years ago, on the same day that the Halley's comet could be seen from earth.

Tonight, a new comet is appearing and everyone in Chris's building are getting ready for a party to celebrate the event. As the night falls, Chris discovers that people are starting to act strange - and this seems to somehow be connected to the comet. They are becoming disoriented and violent and it doesn't take long before they begin to mutate into something far beyond this world.

In a fight for survival, Chris tries to escape from his building with the help of a gun taunting [sic] tenant (John Fallon) - but will they make it out alive?"

The Returned

Here's a poster for this zombie movie that is currently in preproduction. It features a screenplay by The Hidden Face writer Hatem Kraiche Ruiz-Zorilla and direction from Exorcismus director Manuel Carballo. There's a plot synopsis below. [Shock Till You Drop]

Kate works at the hospital in the Return Unit, helping those who have been infected by the virus that turns people into zombies. Kate's dedication to her work is absolute, but few people realize that for her it is also a personal matter; Kate's own husband, Jason, has been returned.

After various brutal and prolific attacks at the hands of Anti-Return groups and rumours that the "Protein" stock is running dangerously low, Kate fears for Jason´s safety. Suspicious of the government's order that all the returned should report to a secure medical facility ‘for their own safety', the couple decides to flee, taking with them all the doses of "Return Protein" they have. At no point does the couple imagine that the real threat is a lot closer than they think.

Game of Thrones

Here's the official description for the second season finale, "Valar Morghulis":

As Theon (Alfie Allen) stirs his men to action, Luwin (Donald Sumpter) offers some final advice. Brienne (Gwendolyn Christie) silences Jaime; Arya (Maisie Williams) receives a gift from Jaqen (Tom Wlaschiha); Dany (Emilia Clarke) goes to a strange place; and Jon (Kit Harington) proves himself to Qhorin (Simon Armstrong).

[SpoilerTV]

And here's a casting call for extras in season three:

MALES:
- with short length hair of every colour
- with shoulder length hair of every colour
- all hair lengths with and without good beards
- with short blonde hair
- with long dark hair & beards
- sporty, strong & fit types
- any male amputees

We're always interested in men:
- with special skills: archery, combat-skills, martial arts, military experience, rowers & sailors
- in smaller numbers we generally require: farmers, butchers, carpenters, iron workers, blacksmiths, weavers, medieval musicians

FEMALES:
- With long natural undyed hair.

And men or women that are over 18 and that are under 5ft in height.

[SpoilerTV]

True Blood

Assuming he wasn't using a rather unusual metaphor, it sounds as though Ice T. has revealed one of the ways his former Law and Order: SVU costar Christopher Meloni kills in his new guest stint as a vampire:

Chris is going to kill on that show. Chris is a magnificent actor. I saw him the other night and he said, 'You haven't lived until you've driven a stake through someone's heart!'"

[E! Online]

Grimm

Star Dave Giuntoli previews what to expect from the show in season two:

"I know Nick's going to be honing his Grimm-stincts a little bit and using his fighting skills a lot more. We're going to meet the Captain's family and we're going to learn about the world order and stuff like that."

[E! Online]

666 Park Avenue

And here's an introduction to the episode from Castiel actor Misha Collins.

Eureka

Here's a sneak peek at next Monday's episode, "Worst Case Scenario."

The series finale is set to air July 16...

Warehouse 13

...and then Warehouse 13...

Alphas

...and Alphas will debut their new seasons the following Monday, July 23. [TV Line]

Speaking of which, here's a list of titles and airdates for the first seven episodes of season two:

23/07 2x01 Wake-Up Call
30/07 2x02 The Quick and the Dead
06/08 2x03 Alpha Dogs
13/08 2x04 When Push Comes to Shove
20/08 2x05 Gaslight
27/08 2x06 Alphaville
10/09 2x07 Gods and Monsters

[Alphas TV]

Teen Wolf

Here's a promo photo for season two. [SpoilerTV]

Additional reporting by Jennifer Griffith-Delgado and Charlie Jane Anders.

Could The Avengers bring Justice League back from the dead? A Chronicle star will bully Chloe Moretz's new Carrie. A new video highlights the legendary Rick Baker's alien creations in Men in Black 3. Plus a new Doctor Who mini-episode!

Spoilers from here on out!

Man of Steel

WETA reportedly showed a sizzle reel of footage, including two Man of Steel clips, at a recent party. Avatar and Iron Man visual effects supervisor Jonathan Rothbart apparently took to IMDB — and while it seems odd for a person to go around impersonating Jonathan Rothbart, we should probably still play it safe and take this with a grain of salt — and described the two clips, the first of which was just six seconds long:

The former was Clark Kent grabbing a truck with a crying man inside of it while flying through the middle of a tornado. It looked incredible. Henry Cavill can fly, and he can hold a truck in one arm. Zack Snyder brings his usual visual flair, but somehow is still unlike anything he has made before. It felt like a Superman comic. Real heroism.

He then described the second, much longer clip:

The clip consisted of Superman in full costume in a verbal argument with Zod in the center of Smallville with Christopher Meloni yells at them through a megaphone next to a tank. Meloni warns them he will fire if they do not surrender. While he says this Zod sizes Superman up. Shannon looks evil as he can be. Bone chilling even. And is DEFINITELY sporting enhanced muscle. Cavill's Superman is a wonderful sight to behold in motion. Cavill's pure size makes him the most believable Superman to date. Zod speaks in Kryptonian "Do you know your native tongue, Kal-el?" Superman looks stunned, and responds in English, "Who are you?" (there isn't enough Superman dialogue to judge Cavill's performance fairly, but I'd say he did well. Nothing spectacular from this clip.)

Meloni curses, then into a walkie talkie orders the tank to fire. Superman hears this and turns to the tank. Zod takes this opportunity to sucker punch Superman (in Zack Snyder slow-then-fast-mo) then when the tank fires Superman rushes in front of Zod, despite the punch and catches the exploding missile near his stomach. The flames ripple around him, hit his face, his cape, his eyes. The shrapnel hits him and bounces off. The same happens to Zod to a lesser extent. Meloni's shocked expression when they remain standing, silhouettes in a cloud of smoke, ends the clip.

Rothbart's overall take was very positive, calling the footage "incredible", "visually stunning", and "phenomenal", though he did say it displayed "typical Zack Snyder" flourishes, such as multiple uses of slow motion. Again, grains of salt until we hear more official confirmation, but this certainly seems broadly in line with what we would expect. [Film School Rejects]

Iron Man 3

Rubicon and The Pacific actor James Badge Dale is reportedly in negotiations to play a villain named Savin. That might — though doesn't necessarily — refer to the comic book character Eric Savin, described as "a Lieutenant Colonel in charge of a secret Army project who investigates wrongdoing within the program, runs over a land mine, and is revived as a cyborg known as Coldblood." That would seem to tie in nicely with the rumored nanotechnology angle the rest of the film will take, which reportedly is based on Warren Ellis's Extremis arc. [Deadline via CinemaBlend]

Justice League

All the various attempts to make a big-screen Justice League movie have been hideous failures. A rather dubious-sounding version with Mad Max director George Miller and The Social Network's Armie Hammer as Batman almost got made in 2007 before the Writer's Strike derailed it - but since The Avengers is making obscene amounts of money, it's possible Warner Bros. is going to try again. The latest rumors/speculation suggest they are doing just that, and that Christopher Nolan might be involved in much the same way he helped develop Man of Steel. Assuming there's anything to this, it's presumably just the earliest possible discussions. Still, you can check out the link for more. [E! Online]

Prometheus

Here's the latest viral video. [MTV Movies Blog]

Men in Black 3

Here's a video spotlighting the one part of this franchise I think we can all agree is consistently high quality: makeup legend Rick Baker's alien designs. [Coming Soon]

And here's another viral video. [First Showing]

Carrie

Alex Russell, who played the reluctant hero(ish) character Matt in Chronicle, has reportedly been cast as a bully in the new adaptation of the Stephen King story from Boys Don't Cry director Kimberly Peirce and Dark Shadows actress Chloe Moretz. Off-Broadway stage actor Ansel Elgort has also reportedly been cast as one of Carrie's friends who takes her to prom. [Variety]

Extraterrestrial

Here's a trailer for Timecrimes director Nacho Vigalondo's latest, in which some manner of alien invasion goes down...probably. [Film School Rejects]

Antiviral

Person of Interest

Star Michael Emerson says the hacker Root will be back in the season finale, and she is likely to be a major player next season as well:

"In her, Finch has an adversary more dangerous than he ever dreamed. She's going to come after him in a shocking way, a personal way. She's not going to seem nearly so charming anymore."

[TV Guide]

Once Upon a Time

Star Jennifer Morrison previews what's in store for her character Emma in season two:

"Season one, for Emma, it was about Henry, and season two is going to be about the idea of romantic love in her life — she's never allowed that before. And also exploring the relationship with her mother now that she knows who her mother is. They're promising me these romantic things in season two, but I don't know who or what or why or when!"

[E! Online]

Grimm

It's looking likely that in the season finale Nick will finally come clean to Juliette about the supernatural aspects of his work. For a sneak peek of Nick revealing some bombshells to Juliette, check out the link. [EW]

Touch

Here's a sneak peek at this week's tenth episode overall, "Tesselations."

Here's the official description for the two hour finale airing May 31, entitled "Gyre Parts 1 & 2", in which A History of Violence and Prime Suspect actress Maria Bello is introduced in what should be a recurring role next season:

NEW CONNECTIONS TRIGGER A QUEST TO FIND MORE IN AN ALL-NEW TWO-HOUR SEASON FINALE OF "TOUCH" THURSDAY, MAY 31, ON FOX

Maria Bello Makes Her TOUCH Debut

As the Aster Corporation increases their interest in Jake, Martin joins forces with Abigail (guest star Catherine Dent) as the stakes of Jake's custody escalate. When Avram (guest star Bohdi Elfman) reiterates to Martin that Jake and Amelia, a presumed dead girl with similar characteristics as Jake, are connected, Martin sets out on a passionate mission to uncover the truth. Meanwhile, circumstances intensify when Lucy (guest star Maria Bello) enters the picture and seemingly unrelated events are tied together.

[SpoilerTV]

666 Park Avenue

Haven

Duke Crocker actor Eric Balfour has tweeted that season three will start airing September 21. [@ERICBALFOUR]

The Vampire Diaries

Showrunner Julie Plec previews what's ahead for Klaus in season four:

"The loss of the doppelganger is gonna be a BFD for Klaus and will drive his actions for the season. Suddenly he's vulnerable for many reasons. There's a stake that can kill him, a witch that can desiccate him, and no way to build up the hybrid army he needs - psychologically, at least - to feel safe. Plus, Caroline's going to be peeved at him once she realizes he bamboozled her. In other words, he ain't gonna be so happy."

[TV Guide]

Beauty and the Beast (CW)

The CW's update of the 1980s show, starring Smallville's Kristin Kreuk, will reportedly take over the Thursday night time slot after Vampire Diaries that The Secret Circle just vacated, what with being canceled and all. [SpoilerTV]

Continuum

Conan the Barbarian actress and Star Trek bit player Rachel Nichols discusses her starring role in this new Canadian show:

It's fantastic and I'm very pleased with it. The show opens up in 2077 and I'm a cop in the future. We are about to put the seven most criminal terrorists in the world to death. While they've been in prison, unbeknownst to me, there's other people who weren't involved and they've essentially created... it's not like a time machine but sort of a device that creates a wormhole. They set it off right before they are executed, and we are all shot back 65 years. Because I go in to stop it, I get shot back with them.

Suddenly I wake up in 2012 and I've just fallen out of the sky. I'm quickly figuring out where I am or who I am, but I'm still fighting the same fight that I was fighting 65 years in the future, but it's in 2012. Obviously, a lot that goes along with that. It was really, really intense, but very cool.

She also discusses whether it will end up airing in the United States:

Graham King of GK Films produced it and what they want to do, which I'm completely on board with since I had my heart broken after several pilots didn't get picked up during pilot season over the past through years, they wanted to shoot all 10 and then sell it. It's already been sold in Canada and it will come on at the end of May. But they wanted to shoot and assemble all 10 episodes and then sell it like that. They are negotiating with American networks right now, but just they wanted to put it all together and make it the show they wanted to make it before succumbing to the pressures of executives and things. They just wanted to make the show they wanted to make and then worry about selling it, which was great for me.

[About.com]

Additional reporting by Ben Vrignon and Charlie Jane Anders.

Marc Webb takes us inside The Amazing Spider-Man. The original Blade Runner screenwriter returns to write the follow-up. Will NBC's Revolution be the first J.J. Abrams show that's easy to follow? Plus Kristen Stewart talks Snow White and the Huntsman!

It's spoilers all the way down!

Top image from The Amazing Spider-Man.

The Avengers 2

Probably the most fundamental question that needs to be answered about the Avengers sequel is simply whether Joss Whedon is coming back to write and direct it. Now that his movie has made just ludicrous amounts of money at the box office — and so likely given him a bit more clout to do exactly what he wants with the sequel — it would seem decently likely.

However, there is this quote from Whedon on whether he would return — which, it should be stressed, is from an interview that happened before the movie's US release — that throws a bit of a monkey wrench into the works:

"You know, I'm very torn. It's an enormous amount of work telling what is ultimately somebody else's story, even though I feel like I did get to put myself into it. But at the same time, I have a bunch of ideas, and they all seem really cool."

[Hero Complex]

The Amazing Spider-Man

Here's a new behind-the-scenes video from director Marc Webb.

Iron Man 3

Filming will reportedly kick off in Wilmington, North Carolina on May 29 at the Cape Fear Club, reportedly lasting from 5:00 AM to 7:00 PM. [/Film]

Prometheus

Here's an awesome international poster that seems to feature a potentially spoiler-y spacecraft collision.

Battleship 2

Battleship costar Brooklyn Decker says a sequel is a definite possibility, though I'm going to go ahead and wildly guess that it could be way less of a possibility after this weekend's box office results:

There's talk, there are rumblings of a Battleship 2. I would love to do it. I would start it tomorrow if I could. Yes...Well at the end of the credits we have a little sneak peek that talks about aliens still being on the Earth. There's something that's left over...Stay for the credits if you see Battleship."

[E! Online]

Snow White and the Huntsman

Star Kristen Stewart of Twilight fame and/or infamy discusses how director Rupert Sanders realized the fantastical concept art in the actual movie:

"It's rare when you see concept art, it's always cooler than the movie ends up being. It's inspiration, I suppose. That's the way Rupert Sanders got the job as director, is kind of putting together this five-minute version of the movie and presenting the darkness and lightness of the world. I thought that it was insane because it felt like two different people did it. It was like so, so beautiful when it was light and so exuberantly happy, and then when it was dark, it was wretched, it was disgusting," Stewart said of the concept art. "When I first saw the movie, I saw that. And I was really like, wow! Everything I wanted it to feel like, everything I wanted it to say, it's there."

[MTV Movies Blog]

Maleficent

The Dark Knight Rises and Little Birds actress Juno Temple has reportedly joined Angelina Jolie's Sleeping Beauty movie as Thistlewit, one of three "neglectful and superficial" fairies (along with Imelda Staunton's Knotgrass and Lesley Manville's Flittle) "who are tasked with taking care of Aurora in the cottage in the woods" after Aurora (Super 8's Elle Fanning) is cursed to eternal sleep by Jolie's Malificent. [Heat Vision]

Stranded

Here's a promo poster for the Christian Slater-starring movie that's rather wonderfully described as "Rosemary's Baby meets The Thing in space." If that doesn't immediately do it for you, there's a slightly more complete in-depth plot description below:

Slater plays Gerard, who leads three other astronauts on a mission, when a meteor suddenly collides with their space station putting the lives of the entire crew in danger. Those on board quickly learn that spores from the meteorite can replicate cell structure, reproduce, and mutate. Ava, the only female astronaut becomes infected, showing signs of pregnancy at a rapid rate. Within 36 hours she gives birth to a creature that mutates into the life form of another crew member. As the astronauts begin to experience this sinister presence, the virus spreads and Gerard urges for the killing of Ava. The alien being targets the crew one by one, leaving those remaining to destroy it before all are killed.

[Shock Till You Drop]

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

Directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller continue to confound my expectations that the Sin City sequel will never actually happen by acting like this Sin City sequel is actually going to happen. The latest proof of its future existence? A release date has been set for October 4, 2013. [Shock Till You Drop]

Game of Thrones

Robb Stark actor Richard Madden promises that episode nine's Battle of Blackwater will live up to all possible expectations:

"I'm really excited to see a certain battle that happens. Season one viewers were a bit mad that they didn't get to see enough of the battle, but anyone that missed out on the battle last year is not going to be disappointed with the battle this year. It's going to be awesome."

[E! Online]

The Walking Dead

Here's a casting call for a recurring character who will be introduced in the third episode of season three:

[HAROLD] 40s to early 50s. Male. A studious and fastidious man, trying to create a niche for himself in this new world. Guest star. Recurring.

[IMDB Forums]

True Blood

Alcide actor Joe Manganiello talks about what might be ahead for his character in season five, including asking the almost rhetorical at this point question about whether Alcide and Sookie will hook up — if his following knowing smile is anything to go by, then yes — before discussing how Anna Paquin's real-life pregnancy might lead to Alcide getting Sookie pregnant as well:

"I will say that I'm the only character on the show that can get her pregnant, so if they have to with it, there's kind of only one way you can go!"

[E! Online]

Here's another poster for season five. [SpoilerTV]

Here's a casting call for episode eleven, reportedly entitled "Finally":

[GENERAL CAVENAUGH] A tough as nails general along the lines of Norman Schwarzkopf. Guest star

[IMDB Forums]

Once Upon a Time

Despite the fact that he is now bringing his particular brand of chilling awesomeness to NBC's Revolution on a regular basis, Breaking Bad's Giancarlo Esposito says he also hopes to keep showing up on Once Upon a Time as well:

"I think I can [pop up on Once]. And I would love to do that. I am so happy about their pickup, because it's a show my kids can watch! So you know I'm going to be trying to go back and forth."

[TV Line]

Touch

Star Jared Padalecki teased this about a possible direction for season eight:

"You'll see why tomorrow, but we're going to have a wonderful opportunity to see the brothers apart, and I hope, I hope, I hope we take advantage of it."

[Zap2It]

CW president Mark Pedowitz suggests the eighth season likely won't be the end for what is now the network's last link to the old WB, saying the next season isn't seen "as the final year in any way, shape or form." [TV Line]

Speaking of season eight, here's a press release for it. Also, it's probably worth knowing the show is moving to Wednesdays to form a block with Arrow, the network's Green Arrow show:

The thrilling and terrifying journey of the Winchester brothers continues as SUPERNATURAL enters its eighth season. Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) have spent their lives on the road, battling every kind of supernatural threat. Over the years, after dozens of bloody adventures, they have faced everything from the yellow-eyed demon that killed their mother to vampires, ghosts, shapeshifters, angels and fallen gods. They even came face to face with Lucifer and the Four Horsemen in averting the Apocalypse. With the help of allies - both human and supernatural - they've discovered that every threat they vanquish opens a new door for evil to enter in. In the show's seventh season, their hunt for the dreaded Leviathans - monstrous creatures escaped from Purgatory - has cost them dearly. Claiming the life of their best friend and father-figure, Bobby Singer, and shattering their protector, the fallen angel Castiel, Sam and Dean's battle to somehow defeat the age-old Leviathan threat will take everything they've got. As dawn arrives after their endless struggle and sacrifice to defeat the world's evils, they know that, come nightfall, something otherworldly - something supernatural - will claw its way out of the shadows, demanding their attention.

[SpoilerTV]

Arrow

And speaking of the CW's Green Arrow show, here's a promo image.

Beauty and the Beast

Here's a promo image for Smallville star Kristin Kreuk's return to the CW fold. [EW]

The Selection

CW president Mark Pedowitz says the network isn't done with its pilot that is more or less a sanitized version of The Hunger Games:

"The Selection is going to go back into redevelopment; we're very high on it."

[TV Line]

Tron: Uprising

Star Elijah Wood discusses the animated Tron spin-off:

"When I saw the initial designs and some of the test animation, I was so blown away that it had such a cinematic quality to it. It really didn't look like any animated series I had seen before. A lot of it is computer animation, but all the characters look like two-dimensional cell animation. I love the mix of the two. It's a really unique look. I also love how angular the characters are."

[Den of Geek]

Teen Wolf

For those wondering the all important question about season two - what's up with Stiles? - let's go right to Stiles himself, actor Dylan O'Brien, for the latest Stiles scoop:

"He's still Stiles, just with everything going on, everything gets so much bigger and there's so many more people and so many more problems. He's just got to be a little more serious."

Also, the storylines for Stiles will apparently be "more dramatic" this season, because really, what else could they be? Guys, it's Stiles we're talking about here. [E! Online]

Additional reporting by Jennifer Griffith-Delgado and Charlie Jane Anders.

OK, OK, "farting" might not be the technical term. But as long frozen ice in Arctic regions starts to melt, trapped pockets of methane gas are escaping after millennia. This could be seriously bad news for our already warming planet.

Second only to carbon dioxide when it comes to greenhouse gases, methane levels in the atmosphere are starting to rise in our atmosphere after a brief period of relative stability. Landfills and farm animals are already a big source of methane, but those recent human sources are now being joined by ancient, long forgotten sources from the natural world.

Researcher Katey Walter Anthony and her team at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks have managed the tricky task of tracking these sources of methane back to their sources in methane seeps throughout Alaska and Greenland. The seeps seem to be the result of coal and gas deposits trapped under ice for thousands of years as well as younger deposits of plant material in the regions' lakes. Together, that makes for a lot of extra methane our atmosphere definitely doesn't need. Here's how they explain the spike in Nature Geoscience, as well as what it could mean for our planet:

We observed most of these cryosphere-cap seeps in lakes along the boundaries of permafrost thaw and in moraines and fjords of retreating glaciers. If this relationship holds true for other regions where sedimentary basins are at present capped by permafrost, glaciers and ice sheets, such as northern West Siberia, rich in natural gas and partially underlain by thin permafrost predicted to degrade substantially by 2100, a very strong increase in methane carbon cycling will result, with potential implications for climate warming feedbacks."

For more on this story, check out BBC News.

Image by NASA Goddard Photo and Video on Flickr.

As soon as orangutans go through puberty, they are pretty much expected to find a mate and start making babies. But as sexually frustrated high schoolers the world over will tell you, that's easier said than done.

The orangutans on Sumatra - and only those on Sumatra, so don't go blabbing to their Borneo cousins - have come up with a truly novel solution to make themselves as good-looking as possible coming out of puberty. They delay puberty, meaning they don't develop the secondary sexual characteristics like cheek flanges that pretty much say to all the female orangutans, "Yup, I'm here to get busy."

Some orangutans manage to delay the onset of puberty by more than ten years. And while that effectively means they remain children for an extra ten years, they are still able to do plenty of growing up. They spend all that extra time building up the strength necessary to overthrow the dominant males of their society when they finally do complete puberty. Exactly how the Sumatran orangutans are able to selectively arrest their development is still an open question, but it certainly seems they are the only male primates who know this particular trick.

Researcher Gauri Pradhan of the University of South Florida and her colleagues have described this effect in The American Journal of Anthropology. They point to the unique structure of Sumatran orangutan society, in which one male can monopolize the attention of all surrounding females for weeks at a time, as a reason why this delayed puberty evolved. They found that those orangutans who had matured later were significantly more successful than their counterparts in gaining sole access to the females.

While the idea of going straight from a biological child to controller of one's own harem may sound a bit bizarre - and indeed, applied to humans, seems like a rather fascinating if mildly disturbing premise for a sci-fi short story - it turns out to be the best evolutionary strategy for the Sumatran orangutans. But it does have some decided drawbacks, as the males get to enjoy their adulthood for even less time than you'd think. According to the researchers, such delayed puberty is strongly linked with early deaths among the briefly adult males.

The American Journal of Anthropology via New Scientist. Image by Itshears on Flickr.

The long-awaited adaptation of Orson Scott Card's classic novel will feature epic zero-gravity battles that would make the man behind 2001: A Space Odyssey jealous. Plus producer Roberto Orci discusses just how the movie tackles the book's military themes.

Plus Ridley Scott drops a key detail for his Blade Runner sequel.

Star David Giuntoli reveals what's ahead on the next season of Grimm.

A Dollhouse star and Wolverine's arch-nemesis are headed to Mars.

Plus all the latest details on the CW's sci-fi and fantasy pilots!

Spoilers from here on out!

Top image from The Dark Knight Rises.

The Dark Knight Rises

Here's a new TV spot that ties in with the ongoing NBA playoffs. [Coming Soon]

True Blood

Grimm

Star David Giuntoli talks about season two:

"In Season 1, we were just focusing on the procedural; we had a good time being Law & Order: Special Fairytales Unit. [Laughs] I think in Season 2, we're going to have more of a macro exploration of the powers that be, governments and the world order buried underneath that nobody knows about - except for those in power."

[TV Line]

He has more to say elsewhere:

"I think inevitably Nick is going to have to summon some rag-tag type of army - Monroe, maybe a Grimm here or there. I would be really interested in meeting another Grimm. [Next season] know we're going to be finding out more about the wars and the bigger forces at work. I think this season we really dealt with Nick's individual journey, specific cases of these creatures. Going forward, we're going to see a more macro-world order, and figure out Capt. Renard (Sasha Roiz) and what the hell he is. I think we'll be discovering that."

[EW]

Here are two casting calls for the first episode of season two, which will begin unusually early for a network show by premiering in August:

[MARNASSIER] 40s, very muscular and imposing man, he morphs into a Mauvais Dentes, a saber-toothed killing machine who is virtually unstoppable, and always deadly. GUEST STAR, Recurring (Actor must be available for o/a 6/11-20 as well as the dates for this episode)

[ERIC RENARD] 40s, sophisticated, handsome European man in good shape. The brother of Captain Renard. GUEST STAR, Recurring (Actor must be available for o/a 6/11-20 as well as the dates for this episode)

[IMDB Forums]

Touch

Here's a promo for the two-hour finale airing May 31, "Gyre Parts 1 & 2."

Supernatural

Jensen Ackles reveals his expanded role for the eighth season premiere:

"We don't get a very long break — it's about two and a half months," Ackles explained. "I actually have to go back early because I'm going to direct the first episode [of Supernatural]. My break is even a littler shorter, but we try to make the most of it. It's not optimal, but as I always say, it's a good problem to have!"

[Us Weekly]

Falling Skies

Here's a short synopsis for episode six of the second season of TNT's alien invasion drama:

Hal finds bodies of de-harnessed children and someone from his past; Tom and Anne grow closer; Weaver's health begins to deteriorate; Tom discovers that Weaver may have been keeping secrets.

[SpoilerTV]

Haven

Southland actor Dorian Missick has reportedly joined the Syfy show as Tommy Bowen, described as "a no-nonsense Boston detective whose investigation of a serial killer brings him to the strange town." Harold and Kumar actress Kate Kelton has also reportedly been cast as a "'spirited' waitress at The Gun & Rose Diner and an influential member of an organization for troubled people." The "spirited" descriptor might have multiple meanings. [TV Line]

The Vampire Diaries

Aunt Bonnie actress Kat Graham discusses her character's reaction to Elena's likely vampiric transformation:

"I'm really interested to see Bonnie's reaction to Elena becoming a vampire. I don't imagine her taking it too well. She's kind of cleaning up a lot of mess and making a lot of decisions she didn't necessarily plan on making. I don't know how that's going to factor into how she deals and feels about Elena."

[E! Online]

Arrow

Star Stephen Amell reveals that the show's name is also that of the character, rather than the full Green Arrow:

"He's actually called ‘the hood guy' a couples times in the pilot. But for now he's just Arrow."

And Smallville Green Arrow actor Justin Hartley contrasts the two CW incarnations of the character:

"People will realize within five minutes of watching the [Arrow] pilot that other than in name, the characters don't have anything in common...They're both in DC universes, but those universes are very, very different. [Arrow is] sort of like Chris Nolan's DC universe, where nobody has superpowers, while in Smallville a lot of people had powers. That's a fundamental difference."

[TV Line]

And here's a pair of trailers.

Beauty and the Beast

Here's the first promo for the CW's update of the 1980s show that starred Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman. This new incarnation stars Smallville's Kristin Kreuk.

Here's another, shorter promo.[KSiteTV]

And here's a lengthy synopsis of the show:

Earlier, Catherine witnessed the murder of her mother at the hands of two gunmen. Catherine would have been killed too, but someone – or something – saved her. No one has ever believed her, but she knows it wasn't an animal that attacked the assassins…it was human. Years have passed, and Catherine is a strong, confident, capable police officer, working alongside her equally talented partner, Tess. While investigating a murder, Catherine discovers a clue that leads her to a handsome doctor named Vincent Keller, who was reportedly killed by enemy fire while serving in Afghanistan in 2002. Catherine learns that Vincent is actually still alive and that it was he who saved her many years before. For mysterious reasons that have forced him to live outside of traditional society, Vincent has been in hiding for the past 10 years to guard his secret – when he is enraged, he becomes a terrifying beast, unable to control his super-strength and heightened senses. Catherine agrees to protect his identity in return for any insight he may have into her mother's murder. Thus begins a complex relationship between Catherine and Vincent, who are powerfully drawn to each other yet understand that their connection is extremely dangerous for both of them.

You can also check out a full cast list at the link. [TV Equals]

Tron: Uprising

Here are some interview videos with stars Elijah Wood, Tricia Helfer, and Emmanuelle Chriqui for Disney XD's animated Tron tie-in.

Continuum

Here's a promo poster for the new Canadian time travel show starring Conan the Barbarian star Rachel Nichols. [SpoilerTV]

Teen Wolf

On the off chance you're into this sort of thing, you can check out the first ten minutes of season two at the link. [MTV]

Additional reporting by Marykate Jasper and Charlie Jane Anders.

Hugh Jackman reveals when The Wolverine at last starts filming. A new Doctor Who episode might have the craziest title yet. AMC takes you inside the start of The Walking Dead's season three filming. Plus what to expect from Kick-Ass 2!

Spoilers from here on out!

Top image from Prometheus.

The Amazing Spider-Man

Here's a rather adorable promo featuring some singing by stars Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone.

Here are the latest viral videos starring Rhys Ifans as the Lizard's alter ego, Dr. Curt Connors. [Coming Soon]

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Here's a new international poster. [Shock Till You Drop]

Kick-Ass 2

Writer-director Jeff Wadlow explains how he set about adapting Mark Millar's sequel comic:

It's been an interesting process because for those of you who know the property really well, the movie takes some significant liberties with the first comic book. So then Mark did the sequel to the comic book which is Kick-Ass 2. So I had sort of this movie and the comic book and I had to find the intersection. An adaptation was quite a challenge, but one that I really enjoyed and loved. I think the most important thing that's gonna change from the Kick-Ass 2 comic to Kick-Ass 2 the movie was just really finding an emotional story to tell. Because what I certainly loved about the first film, and what I think elevated it above most comic book adaptations, is the heart and the emotion in the film. It was sort of my challenge as the film maker and storyteller to find something as emotional in the second film and I think we have some stuff that people are gonna really respond to.

He also discusses just how he will be incorporating who is now the cast's biggest star, Hit Girl actress Chloe Moretz:

If you've read the comic, you know, she gives up being Hit-Girl, which was a brilliant idea I thought on Mark's part. It's something I explore something quiet deeply in the movie because what happens in the comic is she sort of steps away from the story in many ways and she's sort of sidelined while Dave is working with Justice Forever and Chris is becoming the Mother[frick]er. But I was quite interested in what happens to her when she's not being Hit-Girl... Nothing is official yet. But I had breakfast with Chloë two weeks ago and she's read the script and she's very excited about what we're doing with Hit-Girl. Her story is a major, major part of the film and she's excited about the ideas and we're in talks.

[/Film]

Unknown Warner Bros./DC Comics Movies

This section is a bit of a grab bag, but two very different people have recently intimated they might be working with Warner Bros. - and, by extension, the DC stable - on a comic book movie in the near future. First up is Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who tweeted this response to a fan's praise:

Funny U say that.. RT: @krystal_burt:@ron2smoove I could see Rock playing in DC movies. Gravedigger or John Stewart (JL's Green Lantern)

For what it's worth, Johnson's director for Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, Brad Peyton, is reportedly developing a movie based on everyone's favorite cartoonishly over-the-top intergalactic bounty hunter, Lobo. The Rock would seem kind of perfect for that part, and he knows the director. Of course, that's completely speculation, and this may well all be nothing. [Screen Rant]

Meanwhile, Men in Black 3 director Barry Sonnenfeld teased this about an upcoming project:

"You know, I'm talking to Warner Bros. about doing a franchise based on a comic that hasn't been around since the 60s. But it's too early to talk about it. But possibly, yes."

Note that Sonnenfeld doesn't say anything about supeheroes in that - or DC, for that matter. So there's a lot of possibilities to play around with on this one. [/Film]

Beyond Apollo

Barry N. Malzberg's 1972 science fiction novel, which got perhaps the most insanely mixed reviews of all time, is being adapted for a film by first-time writer-director Michael Grodner. The film will star Underworld's Scott Speedman, Independence Day"s Bill Pullman, and Heroes actress Ali Larter. Here's a synopsis of the proposed adaptation:

"The first two-man mission to Venus is aborted in mid-flight and abruptly returns back to Earth. When rescue crews go to retrieve the space capsule, they make a startling discovery: The Captain is missing – there is no sign of his body whatsoever – and strangely enough, the lone surviving astronaut has no clue about what took place.

Beyond Apollo tells the riveting story of when that astronaut, Harry Evans, returns to earth and must answer to the authorities about what really happened on board the doomed flight to Venus. His mind-bending struggle to figure that out is a harrowing journey through the possibilities: Was the Captain murdered? Did he commit suicide? Or were alien beings responsible for his demise? The answer, as Evans will eventually discover, is far more terrifying than anything he could possibly imagine."

The tagline, in case you're wondering, is "Some Worlds are Best Left Unexplored." [Shock Till You Drop]

The 4th Reich

Here's a poster for this war movie in which the Nazis attempt to unleash supernatural forces. It stars erstwhile Game of Thrones star Sean Bean, X-Men: First Class actor Jason Flemyng, and Dog Soldiers actor Sean "son of Jon" Pertwee. There's also a synopsis below. I'm setting Sean Bean's survival chances for this thing at a generous 10%. [Shock Till You Drop]

During the early hours of June 6th 1944 a bloody but victorious offensive took place in occupied Western Europe that would claim thousands of lives. Codenamed 'Operation Overlord' the armies of the combined allied forces would begin their long push to Berlin, with the aim of bringing down the despised Nazi regime.

But the chilling realities of Hitler's true intentions are exposed, to create a force that can never be beaten, a 4th Reich - The New World Order. A team of Nazi doctors and scientists were charged with generating a superior race. Their experiments and research would produce unspeakable evil and change the face of humanity forever. A small select brigade of soldiers from the British 3rd Infantry Division, under the command of the battle hardened Captain Bathurst embark on a dangerous quest to liberate Europe. Fighting their way through the French countryside, villages and war ravaged towns. Every advance they discover increasingly strange events until they reach an abandoned research facility where the true horrors begin.

Doctor Who

This is coming from the British tabloid The Daily Star, so definitely take this with a grain of salt, but the title of episode seven is reportedly "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship." Whatever its title, that episode will be the second to feature Jenna-Louise Coleman as the new companion. [Life, Doctor Who, and Combom]

Game of Thrones

Here's a quartet of promos for this Sunday's much-anticipated episode, "Blackwater."

Showrunner David Benioff strongly suggests that some beloved characters won't make it out of next week's Battle of Blackwater:

One great advantage we have over the movies is that when one of our characters wades into battle, we've spent almost 19 hours with these characters. You know them so well and hopefully you're worried for them. And some of them are gonna die. There is a way of shooting a battle where you see an army of a hundred thousand attacking an army of two hundred thousand. There's also the ground's eye view where you're an infantryman and you're running out there with an axe or a sword or something, you're not seeing the grand scale of it. You're just kind of seeing what's directly in front of you. And that can be a really visceral way of shooting a battle.

[EW]

And here's a poster. [SpoilerTV]

True Blood

Here's another promo for season five.

The Walking Dead

Filming has begun on the sixteen episodes of season three, and AMC has the behind-the-scenes video to prove it.

Awake

Here are some promo photos for the series finale, "Turtles All The Way Down." [SpoilerTV]

Haven

Syfy has put out this press release giving some more information on new cast members Dorian Missick and Kate Kelton's roles, as well as some general info for what's ahead in season three:

Kelton portrays the spirited and fierce "Jordan McKee." She's a waitress at "The Gun & Rose Diner," and also an influential member of a mysterious organization of "troubled" people whose identity is known by the distinctive tattoo marking its members.

Missick plays "Tommy Bowen," a street smart, big city detective who comes to Haven investigating a suspected serial killer case. A shrewd, calculating policeman, he's also a fish out of water, completely mismatched with this small town.

Season three of Haven picks up immediately following the events of the gripping season two finale with Audrey having been brutally kidnapped; Nathan (Lucas Bryant) warned against pursuing a romantic relationship with Audrey; and Duke (Eric Balfour) seemingly engaged in a fight to the death with Nathan after he discovers his family lineage is to kill Haven citizens with troubles.

[SpoilerTV]

Sanctuary

This could possibly — nay, it will — get lost in the shuffle of Eureka's exit, but Syfy has officially decided to cancel Sanctuary after four seasons on the air. [Gate World]

The Selection

Keira Cass, the author of the not yet published series that sounds like a less violent version of The Hunger Games, explains at length just where the pilot stands with CW:

We are not on the fall schedule. And it turns out this is a good thing! The pilot, while very strong, wasn't quite what people (not sure which people) thought it could be. But instead of dropping the show entirely, the CW plans to reshoot it.

From what I understand, the writers and producers are staying, and [Aimee Teegarden] will stay on as America for sure, but some of the characters might be replaced and the script might be reworked. I have no clue and no say over who stays and goes, and I don't know what they would change in the script. I pretty much find things out as they happen, about 5 minutes before you guys do. Sometimes not even that!

It sounds like the CW plans to move quickly, so we might see news in the next few months. If the pilot looks better the second time around, we might see the show air in mid-season (I think that means in the spring) or next summer. And that is actually a good thing, too!

[Keira Cass]

Continuum

Here's the description for episode two of the Canadian time travel show starring Star Trek bit player Rachel Nichols:

Kiera may have found a way home but it will come at the cost of a truce with Liber8. - Kiera tries to find the members of Liber8 before they do more damage. Her attempts are hindered when her cover is blown and her partner on the VPD, Carlos Fonnegra, arrests her. But when she discovers Liber8's plan to attempt to get back to 2077, she has to escape and possibly ally herself with her sworn enemies to get back home.

[SpoilerTV]

Lawnmower Man: The Series

As ridiculous as it might sound, Park Entertainment is reportedly shopping a TV version of the Lawnmower Man movies about a slow-witted gardener who becomes the mega-genius ruler of cyberspace. The Librarian writer David Titcher has reportedly worked on the pilot script, and Park Entertainment is reportedly going to Cannes - Cannes! - to sell the thing. [ShockTillYouDrop]

Additional reporting by Ben Vrignon and Charlie Jane Anders.

Yesterday's Eureka showed in two very different ways just how dangerous it can be for AI to become as smart and clever as humans. The first story had our heroes facing the ultimate disaster simulation, while the other story, well...

Let's just say that some pretty damn massive spoilers lie ahead!

"Worst Case Scenario" has Eureka shifting into action mode after last week's big goofy (and massively entertaining) comedy. Global Dynamics is still working to rebuild its reputation with the Department of Defense in the wake of the Astraeus fiasco, and that means inviting a disaster expert and his wily AI program ADA to wreak simulated - and, soon enough, not so simulated - havoc on our heroes. But after getting a B+ on their first simulation - only 29 deaths! - ADA decides to get serious, knocks out her creator, sets in motion a bunch of very deadly threats including a missile launch, and then destroys itself just to make sure none of this can be stopped.

Meanwhile, Fargo and Zane follow up on last week's discovery that Holly's brain patterns might still be alive in "the matrix", Beverly Barlowe's ultra complex computer simulation. While nether expects to find very much in there, Fargo knows he has to find out the truth. What he discovers exceeds his wildest hopes, as Holly isn't just still present in the matrix, she's pretty much still alive and herself...except, you know, no longer in possession of a body. And so Fargo is left with the unenviable task of tell his beloved that she is actually dead.

The other main thread of this episode is the continuing tension between Carter, Allison, Jo, and Zane. In this case, it's Jo who is pissed with Carter for utterly shutting down her attempt to be honest about her theoretical feelings for him. Of course, she doesn't know that she had that conversation when Carter and Allison had switched bodies, leaving the pretty much eternally innocent and beleaguered Carter with not the foggiest idea what he's supposed to have done.

I think I'm ready for that whole subplot to be over with, even if I haven't disliked the love quadrangle as much as some of you have - and really, I don't think love quadrangle is even really the right word, since we still don't really have any sense that Carter has any feelings for Jo, and Allison certainly doesn't seem to have any interest in Zane. The last three episodes have done a generally OK job of spinning relationship melodrama out of the virtual reality setup, but since we still haven't gotten the slightest sense that what went on in there could happen out here in the real world, it seems silly to keep picking at the scab. I'm hoping Jo offering a toast to Carter and Allison's engagement, even knowing what Allison did to her, means we're ready to move on with all this.

My problem, I think, goes back to one of the things I actually like most about Eureka - that at the end of the day, these characters really do act like adults and professionals most of the time. The alternate reality that the computer simulation presented offered a uniquely Eureka way to bring the characters into interpersonal conflict, but all too often it's felt like the characters are going through the motions of a big fight rather than actually having one. No matter how bad it seems, we still kind of know it's only a matter of time before Jo realizes Carter isn't really an asshole, and it's only a matter of time before she makes her peace with Allison and toasts the happy couple. This isn't the most dramatic way to play things out - a lot of other shows would have strung this out for an entire season, for better or worse - but it does feel true to the characters, and so I'm fine with it. But seriously, I think we've seen enough.

Then there's the big return of Felicia Day as Holly. After three episodes away, her quasi-resurrection has some impact, and the show hit some effective emotional beats as we see Fargo realize he's found her again. Indeed, Fargo gets a lot of the best moments in this episode, with Neil Grayston and Niall Matter offering some nice depth to the unlikely but absolutely rock solid friendship between Fargo and Zane. Without ever approaching a whiff of "bromance", these two characters have reached a point where they would apparently do anything for each other, which is rather wonderful when you consider how far the two have come from their initial, one-dimensional, polar opposite characterizations. This cooperation and quiet camaraderie between Fargo and Zane is the sort of character work I'd say Eureka does best, and it certainly feels more natural than the fighting.

But what of Holly? Honestly, I'm not sure what to make of her in this episode. Both Felicia Day and Neil Grayston seemed weirdly stilted in their virtual scenes together, which might have been a subtle attempt to illustrate the ethereal quality of the desolate virtual reality...or it might have just been down to some wonky direction. In any event, there's still a lot of promise in virtual Holly, and I'm hopeful that the show is able to mine as much as possible out of the decision to bring her back. The virtual reality plot has placed all the characters in unlikely, difficult scenarios, and this one is by far the most intriguing we've encountered so far. Still, I'm grading this subplot more on promise than execution right now, as there was definitely something a bit off about the performances in those scenes.

All that leaves is the main plot of the episode. This is another episode I'd classify as a thoroughly solid episode of Eureka. Given the general quality of the show, that's by no means a bad thing, but the worst case scenario plot doesn't really offer enough twists and turns or big character moments that have elevated other episodes. It's an hour of television that knows what it's doing and gets on and does it with minimal fuss - which makes for fun watching but doesn't really lend itself to a deep analysis. Although, I'll admit - Carter and his jeep sinking into the Earth was a great little sequence, and another great moment in Colin Ferguson getting hilarious pissed off at his latest indignity - his look of almost disapproval with being sucked into the Earth was pretty priceless. It also set up what I've got to assume is the dirtiest joke in Eureka's five seasons. I think, even sight unseen, we've officially seen more than enough of Deputy Andy's fifty feet of high tension steel cable, thank you very much.